Bone Talk

September 30, 2019
In 1899, Samkad, part of the Bontoc tribe in the Philippines, is preparing for a rite of passage when a snake attack delays the ceremony. In order for the rite to proceed, he must find a boy, Kinyo, whose soul is tied to his own. Once Kinyo is found, though, new complications arise. Wearing Western-style clothing and speaking fluent English, Kinyo arrives with his aunt and Mister William, a white American. The group shares the news of Kinyo’s burnt village and a war fought against American invaders. Touching upon timely subjects, such as cultural assimilation and prejudice, Gourlay (Shine) writes with graphic frankness about the realities of war and violence (“I could feel the soft heat swiftly dissipating, turning the warm, living flesh into cold, unyielding meat... my knees were dripping. Blood”). Steeped in Filipino tradition, this richly historic coming-of-age novel shows readers a rare view of the Philippines on the brink of American colonization. Ages 10–14.

Narrator Ram�n de Ocampo takes listeners on a journey to a mountain village in the Philippines at the end of the nineteenth century. Samkad is thrilled when he is chosen by the Bontoc tribe ancients for the rite of passage to become a man, but circumstances intervene as his remote village is thrust unwillingly into the Philippine-American war. Between their local rivals, the Mangili tribe, and the American soldiers with their guns, Samkad and his father are unsure who their true enemies are. Many listeners will be unfamiliar with this period in history and the rich heritage of the native Philippine people, but de Ocampo makes Samkad's first-person point of view sound vibrant and compelling. De Ocampo engages listeners' empathy for Samkad and his rapidly changing world. S.C. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine