Patron Saints of Nothing

This book was one that surprised me on how much I felt it in my soul. It was a complex story of grief, loss, learning, family, culture, world views/history and overall one of a deep personal growth. I think this book showed complex characters and made them truly human with aspects of greatness and downfalls. How beauty and humanity can live within even the most unlikely places. The growth of the main character on his quest to find out the truth of his cousin's death was one that started out as childish but turned into one of enlightenment and almost a coming of age. Beautifully written and a book I would recommend to a reader of any age as the story is one I think we all need to hear.

This was such a tender story and brought light to such an important issue for all of humanity. Highly recommend!

While the novel is relatively short and somewhat formulaic, it follows a tried-and-true recipe of the main character's personal journey from a typical upper-middle-class American teenager who has never had to think much about the world outside college admissions, hanging with friends, video games, social media about movies and other inconsequential minutiae - to a braver, more mature,, socially aware crusader of sorts. It’s a path that many other writers have trod, in various different contexts.The context for this particular story is of Duterte's drug war in the Philippines, in which President Duterte has essentially declared open season on anyone associated with the drug trade (pushers as well as users) and murders, committed both by the police as well as by freelance vigilantes, has become commonplace.The main character, Jay, is your standard middle class American teenager, whose main concerns were getting good enough grades to gain acceptance into a "good" college for the ultimate purpose of finding a "good job." When he learns that his cousin Jun, who is the same age as he, has been killed in the Philippines, but that no one in the family seems to want to discuss it, it lights a flame in Jay that leads him to discover anew the Filipino side of his identity, and thr complexities of a world his middle class American life has completely sheltered him from. Along the way he discovers courage and love in pursuit of the truth regarding his cousin's death.I very much enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

A simply outstanding book. The book is set in the Philippines as The War on Drugs rages. “Patron Saint of Nothing” provides an excellent and realistic introduction to both; however the underlying themes of belonging, loyalty, guilt, fear, and imperfection speak to everyone everywhere. Though I guess the genre is “fiction for young adults”, (and I wish I was still a “young adult”), the book was immensely satisfying to me, despite the difficult subject matter. Here are the 5 things I appreciated the most from the author: 1) From my experience as an American married to a Filipina (and hence her family), the author accurately captures true experiences of “Fil-Am” children, both while living in the USA and when they visit the Philippines. 2) The author accurately depicts (from my experience) characters, relationships, daily life, and events from the Philippines. 3) The author has been able to craft an engaging and suspenseful story that accurately captures “The War on Drugs” and makes it more “real” for the reader. 4) The author does not embellish or sensationalize the story of the War on Drugs. In fact, the author carefully presents, through his characters, the opposing views on the necessity or evil of such actions. 5) Finally, the author captures in this specific story that life is often messy and that there are no easy answers or perfect endings. I am grateful to the author as this book both gave me a chance to return to the Philippines, even if only in my mind, and a chance to become engrossed in a well-crafted and suspenseful story. An outstanding book.

I finished this book a few days ago, choosing to let it settle.On its face, there is much that is typical of this stunning YA book. There is a possible romance. Family drama. Relevant social issues. A young male protagonist on a search for identity. Secrets. A bit of a mystery surrounding a death. A best friend. An emotionally restrained father.From a dispassionate view, this book might be entirely expected. What it does so beautifully is undermine all of these expectations to create a story of complex characters who are always more than just one thing. Ribay probably did not intend his dedication page ("For the hyphenated") as a hint to this, but every character is a study in the hyphenated. The main character, Jay, who is a traditional hyphenate Filipino-American, but every character has many different aspects of their personalities that show how strong a writer Ribay is, and how artfully written this book is.You can read the summary above, and in other reviews. What I think is useful to know is that Randy Ribay's third novel is a stunning achievement. Complex characters living in complex circumstances. An engaging mystery that upended my expectations over the course of the story. A story of identity for those who must straddle two races, ethnicities, languages, countries, heritages, etc.More than anything else, Ribay knows how to pack a punch with his poetic words. Each chapter ends with a gut punch of a phrase that left me in awe of the authors' skill and craft. This is a book not to be missed. This is a book that might be easy to dismiss if you don't read closely enough. This is a valuable book for now, for everyone.

Very honest about grief, guilt and connection. Beautiful written.

Ami hija le gustó muy satisfecha

A really beautiful and informative story about grief, guilt, family and politics.A sweet and relatable main character, who's smart enough to know how to change his views on things.Jay will certainly leave an impact on all readers.And look at that powerful cover !

An excellent book exposing and detailing the dark underbelly of life in the Philippines under dictator Rodrigo Duterte. A compelling read for anyone from a later teen to an adult.