Book Review

The situation in this story is based on what happened in the Philippines during World

War II, when people were killed, tortured, massacred, and forced to flee to their homes to avoid

the soldiers. It represents the reality of people in the previous times when wars were very

prevalent. It also depicts how Filipinos place high importance on marriage and family. People

during that time take "pamamanhikan" seriously to be with the person they want to be with for

the rest of their lives which is seldom applied in today's generation of courting. We can see how

it was imperative for a man first to ask the permission of the woman's parents before they could

officially get married, just like what Carding did to get the hands of her beloved Lucia. And

looking back, most of the province's teenagers choose to marry at a young age.

Furthermore, the story tells us about the life of our Filipino citizens during the Japanese

occupation of the Philippines. Mahayana, a place full of love and goodwill, suffered a significant

loss. With the arrival of the Japanese, the area once known for its peace turned out to be destroyed.

This is the story of the village's death due to the war and the survivors' unquenchable hunger for

vengeance. It tells the story of the Filipinos' harrowing encounters at the hands of the Japanese,

informing the reader of what occurred during the Japanese occupation.

Thus indeed, I am delighted after reading this story because this makes us proud of how

boys during that time became mature men who willingly put an effort to prove their love for

someone while being patient and respectful. In addition, this story made us see how brave the

Filipinos were when they fought the Japanese while having a slight chance of victory. They

battled so valiantly that they were prepared to give their lives to preserve their nation. Even

though they didn't know each other in the guerrilla, they united to fight for what was rightfully

theirs, never wanting to become enslaved people in their land. They bravely fought in the war for

the nation and its people. Their resolve to fight has never wavered as a result of that aim, and this

has greatly aided them in their efforts. As a result, the story has successfully shared a piece of our
heritage and culture as Filipinos.