58
narrator’s life with the deep history of Filipino
community in the past. The first story, “Dark
Blue Suit,” sets up both the historical narrative
of the elder generation of Filipinos and Buddy’s
personal relationship to those men. Buddy writes
about “Alaskeros, men who went each spring to
the salmon canneries of Alaska and returned each
fall” (1), the powerful union built by Filipino im-
migrants in the 1930s, the stylish suits of these
men “against the drab backdrop of cheap hotels,
pool halls, card rooms, and the dull apparel of
Chinatown’s year-round residents” (5), and Com-
munist union leader Chris Mensalves. He also
describes the community’s desires and everyday
lives, the obsession with accordions, the men’s
relationships with female prostitutes, and their
respect for local leaders. Through his childhood
perspective, Buddy also introduces a number of
characters like Mensalves, Leo, and Stephie fea-
tured in later stories.
Half of the stories focus on Buddy’s peers whose
stories reveal how individuals engage with the his-
torical events of their time. One prominent figure
is Rico, the center of both “Rico” and “Home.” In
“Rico,” the teenaged Buddy tries to understand Ri-
co’s decision to enlist in the Vietnam War in 1967.
Many poor, young Filipino men from Seattle go
to war, either voluntarily or through the draft, be-
cause they have few other options. Rico is a tough
character who boxes and fights as a way of life. He
also asserts his masculinity at weekly dances, danc-
ing and sleeping with women, especially “long-
legged blondes” (27). In contrast, “Home” shows
us Rico in the years after he returns from the war,
constantly on the run from his experiences abroad.
The story “August 1968” relates the end of Buddy’s
relationship with his childhood friend Aaron with
the rise of Black Power and the drawing of racial
lines. Buddy’s relationships with the title charac-
ters in “Stephie” and “Dancer” give the reader a
sense of how the Filipino men’s liaisons with pros-
titutes and other women outside of marriage have
created a complicated sense of family, belonging,
and community.
The remaining stories in the collection pro-
vide a glimpse of Buddy’s relationship with the
Manongs—a respectful term for older men—of
his community. Many of these men are bachelors,
even in old age, and it is their decline as central
figures in their community that spurs Buddy’s
need to remember their pasts. “A Life Well Lived”
recounts organizer Chris Mensalves’s important
work in establishing the Filipino union as well as
his difficulties in working as a Communist amid
the anti-Red sentiment after World War II. “The
Wedding” relates Uncle Leo’s return to the Phil-
ippines in his old age to marry a young woman
in order that he might have a family. “A Manong’s
Heart” tells the story of Uncle Kikoy’s love of box-
ing as a sport that allowed Filipinos to be “men” in
the United States.
As a work, this collection provides an impor-
tant record of the Manong immigrants, their bach-
elor communities, and the families that descended
from them. Through his personal history, Buddy is
able to remember a larger community history that
reveals strong links between many Filipino men in
his life. What comes through most strongly is the
sense of forgotten heroism that these men embod-
ied in their struggle to get by as migrant workers
and low-wage laborers in a country that barely ac-
knowledges their presence.Bibliography
Bacho, Peter. Dark Blue Suit and Other Stories. Seattle:
University of Washington Press, 1997.
Paul LaiDaswani, Kavita (1964– )
Kavita Daswani was born in Hong Kong and lived
there for three decades. She moved to Los Angeles
after her marriage but considers Mumbai (Bom-
bay), India, her emotional home. Beginning her
career as a journalist at age 17, she has been a
fashion correspondent for CNN, CNBC Asia, and
Women’s Wear Daily. She has also published in the
Los Angeles Times and the International Herald Tri-
bune, and has been the fashion editor for the South
China Morning Post in Hong Kong. Since moving
to Los Angeles, she has published two novels, FOR
MATRIMONIAL PURPOSES (2003) and The VILLAGE
BRIDE OF BEVERLY HILLS (2004). The latter novel58 Daswani, Kavita