Overlook Preview: A HISTORY OF THE PHILIPPINES by Luis H. Francia

With only a week to go before the Philippines General Election, a groundbreaking new book, A History of the Philippines: From Indio Bravos to Filpinos, offers a narrative survey of the Southeast Asia archipelago from its very beginnings to the present day.

The Philippines is a country in its adolescence, struggling in fits and starts to emerge from its rich, troubled and multilayered past. A History of the Philippines presents various Philippine narratives—familiar and unfamiliar—and summarizes the different forces that have transformed an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands into a republic over the course of five centuries.

Author Luis H. Francia, professor of creative writing and Asian-Pacific American Studies at New York University, skillfully describes the key turning points in modern Philippine history – from the period of Americanization (1899-1946) to Independence and its aftermath (1946-192) to the tumultuous reign of President Ferdinand Marcos (1972-1986), and on through the modern era, dominating by economic and political uncertainties. Written with verve and style and clarity, A History of the Philippines is an essential volume for anyone interested in understanding this fascinating collection of islands.