{Watch, Read, & Listen} We Are the Radical Monarchs, Dating Makes Perfect, & Hood Feminism podcast

♥ watch, read & listen is a weekly feature where I share and recommend

my current movie, book, music and podcast obsessions every monday. ♥

Watch: We Are the Radical Monarchs on PBS

A group of tween girls chant into megaphones, marching in the San Francisco TransMarch. Holding clenched fists high, they wear brown berets and vests showcasing colorful badges like “Black Lives Matter” and “Radical Beauty.” Meet the Radical Monarchs, a group of young girls of color at the front lines of social justice.

Set in Oakland, a city with a deep history of social justice movements, WE ARE THE RADICAL MONARCHS documents the Radical Monarchs - an alternative to the Scout movement for girls of color, aged 8-13. Its members earn badges for completing units on social justice including being an LGBTQ ally, the environment, and disability justice. The group was started by two, fierce, queer women of color, Anayvette Martinez and Marilyn Hollinquest as a way to address and center her daughter's experience as a young brown girl. Their work is anchored in the belief that adolescent girls of color need dedicated spaces and that the foundation for this innovative work must also be rooted in fierce inter-dependent sisterhood, self-love, and hope.

Directed by Linda Goldstein Knowlton, Katie Flint, Grace Lee

Read: Dating Makes Perfect by Pintip Dunn

The Tech sisters don’t date in high school. Not because they’re not asked. Not because they’re not interested. Not even because no one can pronounce their long, Thai last name—hence the shortened, awkward moniker. But simply because they’re not allowed.

Until now.

In a move that other Asian American girls know all too well, six months after the older Tech twins got to college, their parents asked, “Why aren’t you engaged yet?” The sisters retaliated by vowing that they won’t marry for ten (maybe even twenty!) years, not until they’ve had lots of the dating practice that they didn’t get in high school.

In a shocking war on the status quo, her parents now insist that their youngest daughter, Orrawin (aka “Winnie”), must practice fake dating in high school. Under their watchful eyes, of course—and organized based on their favorite rom-coms. ’Cause that won’t end in disaster.

The first candidate? The son of their longtime friends, Mat Songsomboon—arrogant, infuriating, and way too good-looking. Winnie’s known him since they were toddlers throwing sticky rice balls at each other. And her parents love him.

If only he weren’t her sworn enemy.

Publication date: August 18, 2020

Check out my story diary feature for Dating Makes Perfect coming up on the blog later today! If you enjoy childhood friends-to-enemies-to-lovers fake dating tropes, tight sister kinships and rom-com's, then you will absolutely adore this book!

Listen: Hood Feminism podcast

There's now a book companion that you can read, out now!

Friendly reminder that Black lives still matter and that Black Lives Matter protests are still going on around the world -- Continue signing petitions (updated often), donating (if/when you can), protesting safely, emailing/calling your reps/AG/DA, register to vote/vote-by-mail, and educating yourself and family members. More ways to help support Black people and the movement can be found on BLM's official Linktree. More resources can be found on the sidebar as well. ➔

{Watch, Read, & Listen} I Am Not Your Negro, The Black Kids, & Three Black Chicks podcast

♥ watch, read & listen is a weekly feature where I share and recommend

my current movie, book, music and podcast obsessions every monday. ♥

Watch: I Am Not Your Negro on Netflix (2016)

I Am Not Your Negro envisions the book James Baldwin never finished, a radical narration about race in America, using the writer’s original words, as read by actor Samuel L. Jackson. Alongside a flood of rich archival material, the film draws upon Baldwin’s notes on the lives and assassinations of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. to explore and bring a fresh and radical perspective to the current racial narrative in America.

Raoul Peck's Oscar-nominated documentary is a journey into black history that connects the past of the Civil Rights movement to the present of #BlackLivesMatter. It is a film that questions black representation in Hollywood and beyond. And, ultimately, by confronting the deeper connections between the lives and assassination of these three leaders, Baldwin and Peck have produced a work that challenges the very definition of what America stands for.

Created by Raoul Peck

Written by James Baldwin, Raoul Peck
Starring Martin Luther King Jr., James Baldwin, Samuel L. Jackson

Read: The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed

Perfect for fans of The Hate U Give, this unforgettable coming-of-age debut novel explores issues of race, class, and violence through the eyes of a wealthy black teenager whose family gets caught in the vortex of the 1992 Rodney King Riots.

Los Angeles, 1992

Ashley Bennett and her friends are living the charmed life. It’s the end of senior year and they’re spending more time at the beach than in the classroom. They can already feel the sunny days and endless possibilities of summer.

Everything changes one afternoon in April, when four LAPD officers are acquitted after beating a black man named Rodney King half to death. Suddenly, Ashley’s not just one of the girls. She’s one of the black kids.

As violent protests engulf LA and the city burns, Ashley tries to continue on as if life were normal. Even as her self-destructive sister gets dangerously involved in the riots. Even as the model black family façade her wealthy and prominent parents have built starts to crumble. Even as her best friends help spread a rumor that could completely derail the future of her classmate and fellow black kid, LaShawn Johnson.

With her world splintering around her, Ashley, along with the rest of LA, is left to question who is the us? And who is the them?

Publication date: August 4, 2020

Listen: Three Black Chicks podcast

Friendly reminder that Black lives still matter and that Black Lives Matter protests are still going on around the world -- Continue signing petitions (updated often), donating (if/when you can), protesting safely, emailing/calling your reps/AG/DA, register to vote/vote-by-mail, and educating yourself and family members. More ways to help support Black people and the movement can be found on BLM's official Linktree. More resources can be found on the sidebar as well. ➔

My Ambitious #Wikathon TBR

Hello! I apologize for my weird, impromptu blogging hiatus last month after a blogging streak in June, but I am back for the Wikathon readathon which takes place all month long! As a Filipino American, I'm so excited to celebrate Buwan n Wika and read more books by Filipino authors and support their work. Read on to find out more about the readathon, the prompts, and what I plan to read. I hope y'all will join along or perhaps check out readers Filipino book recommendations!

What is Wikathon?

Hosted by Kate (Your Tita Kate), Gerald (Gerald the Bookworm), Kat (Her Bookish Side), Alex (Alex on the Block) and Julienne (Love, Julienne), Wikathon is an annual month-long readathon during the month of August to commemorate Buwan ng Wika (roughly translates to "month of languages") in the Philippines, and is dedicated to Filipino authors and their stories. It's a big, fun event in the Philippines that celebrates the 170+ Filipino languages, as well as culture and food. 😊

The Prompts

My T B R

Filipino SFF

  

Enlightenment by Reno Ursal [reread]

Wicked As You Wish by Rin Chupeco [reread] | This book means so much to me so you know I'm using this readathon to reread it again. No shame.

Filipino LGBTQ+

  

My Heart Underwater by Laurel Flores Fantauzzo (f/f) 🌈 [reread] | I've read an eARC in May and I want to reread this again for this prompt. Hopefully I'll get a better enjoyment the second time around.

My Fake Canadian Wife by M. Hollis (f/f) 🌈 [reread] | I just love M. Hollis' f/f romances, they deserve to be reread over and over again.

New To Me

  

Murder on Balete Drive (Trese #1) by Budjette Tan, Kajo Baldisimo | I've heard about this comic since it was announced that Netflix has picked up an adaption for the streaming service, and put in my request for it on Netgalley. I am super excited to dive into this comic series! (Also, when are we getting this adaption, Netflix?)

The Secrets That We Keep (A #HeistClub New Blood Anthology), edited by Georgette S. Gonzales | I've heard that this thriller/suspense anthology was good and the vague summary intrigued me, so I'm all in for this.

The Modern Pinoy

   

What Things Mean by Sophia N. Lee

Stealing Luna by Carla de Guzman [reread] | I love this Filipino royalty series. Stealing Luna involves an art heist and bodyguard second chance romance.

The Hour of Daydreams by Renee M. Rutledge [reread]

Filipino Diaspora

  

I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir by Malaka Gharib | This is a graphic memoir of the authors biracial (Filipino and Egyptian) Muslim immigrant experience.

Vampires of Portlandia by Jason Tanamor [reread] | This can probably also apply to the Filipino SFF prompt as well.

S2pid Love

   

What You Wanted by Mina V. Esguerra | I need to get back into the romance genre and Mina V. Esguerra always provides.

North to You by Tif Marcelo [reread] | It's time for a reread of this fun Filipino American food truck romance.

Saraling Wika

Read a book in any Filipino language!

I only know Tagalog and Bisaya so bear with me as I pick the two books I've read, and will reread for this prompt, both written in Tagalog.

  

One Lovely Summer Day by Amae Dechavez [reread]

Fall for Grace by Anne Plaza [reread]

Hosts' Choice

Bagay Tayo by Jerry B. Gracio 🌈 | This can also apply to the Filipino LGBTQ+ and saraling wika prompts as well.

While celebrating Filipino languages and authors this month, it's also imperative to take the time to inform yourself with what's happening in the Philippines with the newly passed Anti-Terrorism Law that puts dissenting Filipinos in danger, and ways to help from wherever you are. Also, support Filipino stories and authors all year round, not just during Buwan ng Wika!

Sign petitions (it's free), donate to funds (if/when/however much you can), email Philippine lawmakers (email scripts/addresses/tools included), amplify Filipino voices and more with the following cardds: junkterrorbill.carrd.co and parasapinas.carrd.co ♥

♥ Are you joining in wikathon?

If so, what do you plan on reading? ♥

{Watch, Read, & Listen} Immigration Nation, Lobizona, & La Diaspora

♥ watch, read & listen is a weekly feature where I share and recommend
my current movie, book, music and podcast obsessions every monday. ♥

Watch: Immigration Nation on Netflix (2020- )

With unprecedented access to ICE operations, as well as moving portraits of immigrants, this docuseries takes a deep look at US immigration today.

The series will examine the processes, pitfalls, and pain of immigration in America. Shot over the course of three years, Schwarz and Clusiau capture the daily workings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, activists, lawmakers, attorneys, and a wide swath of undocumented immigrants, from desperate recent arrivals to longtime residents to deported U.S. military combat veterans.

CW/TW: xenophobia, racism, detainment/interment camps, ICE brutality/arrests, illegal arrests

ICE agents and Border Patrol are still running rampant through our communities detaining immigrants (even those naturalized/with US citizenship) and "Hispanic-looking" people across the U.S. without warrants and while violating a number of Constitutional laws, especially during a global pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests, and it's important to keep fighting for those ripped from their families and sponsors. This docuseries is an important and raw in-depth look into immigration in the U.S. ICE has tried to block Netflix from showing this docuseries. In this, you will see how "cruelty is the point" rings true for ICE. Below are ways you can do to help immigrants.

Ways to help protect immigrants lives/rights, gain citizenship, legal expenses and attorneys for their immigration trials, and reunite with their families:

Know Your Rights (if stopped by ICE/if ICE comes to your door): ACLU (English and Spanish), National Immigration Law Center (in 7 languages), American Friends Service Committee (English and Spanish)

KIND (Kids in Need of Defense): supportkind.org

RAICES: raicestexas.org

Support/donate to the NILC Immigration Justice Fund: immigrantjusticefund.org

Support TPS for Venezuelans: 5calls.org

Block Indefinite Detention of Migrant Families: 5calls.org

Support/donate to The National Immigration Project: nationalimmigrationproject.org

Low-cost Legal Help: immigrationlawhelp.org

Immigration Lawyers: American Immigration Lawyers Association

Read: Lobizona by Romina Garber

Some people ARE illegal.

Lobizonas do NOT exist.

Both of these statements are false.

Manuela Azul has been crammed into an existence that feels too small for her. As an undocumented immigrant who's on the run from her father's Argentine crime-family, Manu is confined to a small apartment and a small life in Miami, Florida.

Until Manu's protective bubble is shattered.

Her surrogate grandmother is attacked, lifelong lies are exposed, and her mother is arrested by ICE. Without a home, without answers, and finally without shackles, Manu investigates the only clue she has about her past--a mysterious "Z" emblem—which leads her to a secret world buried within our own. A world connected to her dead father and his criminal past. A world straight out of Argentine folklore, where the seventh consecutive daughter is born a bruja and the seventh consecutive son is a lobizón, a werewolf. A world where her unusual eyes allow her to belong.

As Manu uncovers her own story and traces her real heritage all the way back to a cursed city in Argentina, she learns it's not just her U.S. residency that's illegal. . . .it's her entire existence.

Publication date: August 4, 2020

Listen: LA Diaspora -- Nitty Scott x Zap Mama 🌈

Friendly reminder that Black lives still matter and that Black Lives Matter protests are still going on around the world -- Continue signing petitions, donating (if/when you can), protesting safely, emailing/calling your reps/AG/DA, register to vote/vote-by-mail, and educating yourself and family members. More resources can be found on the sidebar. ➔

[Updated on 8/4 to include: Lebanonnow carrd, Lebanon & Ways to Help, Lebanon Red Cross, Save the Children, Beirut Relief Fund, Medical Relief to Lebanon, Caritas Lebanon, Lebanese Food Bank,  Lebanon Needs, Beirut Port Relief Fund, Beirut Explosion Disaster Relief]

{Watch, Read, & Listen} Aswang, Unconquerable Sun, & Bayli

♥ watch, read & listen is a weekly feature where I share and recommend

my current movie, book, music and podcast obsessions every monday. ♥

Watch: Aswang (2019)

“Aswang” is a term in the Philippines for witches, vampires, ghosts and werewolves—a collection of evil spirits that feature heavily in myths and popular films. But since President Rodrigo Duterte took office, they have been appearing in real life on the streets of Manila.

In Duterte’s drug war, death squads have shot, tortured and kidnapped tens of thousands of drug users, dealers and innocent bystanders over the past three years. Duterte gives police officers free rein to use brutal violence, which is particularly directed at the poorest sections of society. According to Amnesty International, this amounts to state terror and crimes against humanity.

Aswang follows a group of people whose lives have been caught up in these events: a journalist who tries to make a stand against lawlessness, a coroner, a missionary brother who comforts bereaved family members, and a street kid with parents in prison and friends in the cemetery. The film is a shocking account of unprecedented violence and the moral bankruptcy of a regime that still enjoys support from voters.

Directed by Alyx Ayn G. Arumpac

TW: murder, blood, mutilation of corpses, violence, torture, guns

If you can stomach the trigger warnings, you can watch the trailer here. These are real events and policies the Philippines are going through under the Duterte regime and recently, their government just passed the Anti-Terrorism Law that can tag any Filipino who expresses their Right to Dissent as "terrorists."

It's another law that puts more Filipinos in danger while the on-going drug war is simultaneously occurring. Please take 5 minutes of your free time to sign petitions, email Philippine lawmakers, donate what you can, and help amplify Filipino voices. Demand their government to veto the Anti-Terrorism Law.

Read: Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott 🌈

GENDER-SWAPPED ALEXANDER THE GREAT ON AN INTERSTELLAR SCALE

Princess Sun has finally come of age.

Growing up in the shadow of her mother, Eirene, has been no easy task. The legendary queen-marshal did what everyone thought impossible: expel the invaders and build Chaonia into a magnificent republic, one to be respected—and feared.

But the cutthroat ambassador corps and conniving noble houses have never ceased to scheme—and they have plans that need Sun to be removed as heir, or better yet, dead.

To survive, the princess must rely on her wits and companions: her biggest rival, her secret lover, and a dangerous prisoner of war.

Take the brilliance and cunning courage of Princess Leia—add in a dazzling futuristic setting where pop culture and propaganda are one and the same—and hold on tight:

This is the space opera you’ve been waiting for.

Listen: boys lie -- BAYLI 🌈

Friendly reminder that Black Lives still matter and Black Lives Matter protests are still happening across the U.S. and the world, and it's imperative to continue supporting the movement. Keep signing petitions (updated often), donate if/when you can, protest safely, calling/emailing your reps + AG's, and register to vote. Undercover Feds are kidnapping protestors off the streets in Portland, Oregon (it's as Gestapo as it sounds) and taking them to undisclosed locations and they need our help. More ways to help support Black people and the movement can be found on BLM's official Linktree.