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Original Essays | October 18, 2009

Victoria Hislop: IMG From Leprosy to Lorca — Strange Inspiration

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My first novel, The Island, was inspired by a chance visit to a tiny island leper colony off the coast of Greece on our summer holiday. It was a... Continue »
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More copies of this ISBN:

The Weight of the Sun

by Geronimo Tagatac

The Weight of the Sun Cover

ISBN13: 9781932010114
ISBN10: 1932010114
Condition: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Weight of the Sun, a short story collection by Geronimo Tagatac, sparkles with an appeal that comes from a deep understanding of human nature.

Here are the farm laborers, dancers, kitchen workers, and soldiers who make up a world that is wrought with pain, nostalgia, and stunning grace. From the widowed Filipino father raising a son in a migrant work camp to the young veteran haunted by the ghost of war, The Weight of the Sun shows us not only what it is to be human, but how the human spirit can grow when faced with overwhelming adversity. Tagatac brings these characters home in our hearts with a poise and dignity that marks a new and powerful voice in short fiction.

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About the Author

Son of a Filipino-immigrant father and a Russian-Jewish mother, Tagatac's life has taken an arc from fieldhand to Special Forces demolition sergeant in Vietnam to modern dancer to civil servant and literary writer.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 3 comments:
Samwise, November 4, 2009 (view all comments by Samwise)
A wonderful collection of short stories that deal with the themes of race, culture, coping with war, coming of age, and the value of life. This would be a great resource to use in a highschool or college level class.
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Susan Wiget, October 22, 2009 (view all comments by Susan Wiget)
The Weight of the Sun by Geronimo Tagatac is a collection of interconnected short stories with a predominantly melancholy tone, brilliantly portraying characters who experience trauma from child abuse, loneliness, abandonment, broken dreams, and the senseless violence of war. The author poignantly expresses the universal truth of human emotions and needs. It is appropriate that some of the stories involve ghosts, such as “What Comes After Nineteen,” in which a woman picks up a hitchhiker after noticing that he’s a ghost; even without ghosts the stories are haunting.
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kdlawrence, September 27, 2007 (view all comments by kdlawrence)
Geronimo Tagatac has a gift--a thoughtful, descriptive voice using words that evoke a thousand pictures.

He relates the humble beginnings of immigrants as they find their way to the US through honest, hard farm labor. They retain a tenuous connection to their families (Philippine and work camp) holding onto the most basic and important values--simple shining truths and the love of parents for their children.

Tagatac poignantly shares the experience of second generation children finding their way in their new country: feeling different than and separate from the more privileged American children to which everything seemingly comes so easily; the pull of books and education--and the bridge it can build between the two cultures.

Tagatac's words instantly immerse the reader in the world he paints, allowing you to be a personal witness to the actions and feelings of the characters as they occur.

Touching, evocative, thoughtful, a reminder and lasting impression of the important things in life.

Katherine L
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Product Details

ISBN:
9781932010114
Author:
Tagatac, Geronimo
Publisher:
Ooligan Press
Subject:
General
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
Agricultural laborers
Publication Date:
August 2006
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
175
Dimensions:
894x608x45 64
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