Idaho State History Students Enjoy Hey,Joe
*A few years back my book, “Hey, Joe”, made it on to the reading list for one semester in a class about the history of South East Asia at Idaho State University. The teacher, Carole, was kind enough to send me the reactions of the students. They were asked to give reaction papers comparing two books; Hey, Joe and the Cambridge History of Southeast Asia. It seems Hey, Joe won out in the entertainment category. Why am I not surprised? Here is what the students had to say.
Kyle : I really enjoyed “Hey, Joe”, it was a great collection of stories that was put together really well. This book was probably the one I enjoyed the most of any we read in class.. I think that Lerner was trying to get the point across that the Filipino has a strong sense of nationalism and as a whole were proud of their people and country. This was shown probably most of all in his two stories about boxing and in his story about playing pool.. but I am also envious. I am envious of the simple life that people of a country like Philippines get to live.”
Israel : “What it really drew out for me was the difference between a country that embraced the west and a country that did not. Take for instance the reading of Vietnam in Heaven and Earth and the grayness of their surrounding or the fear in the Trouser People, while you might say that the Filipinos might have lost their soul I would say balderdash. They are still very Filipino, they just put up with bad traffic and smog. Unfortunately they lived under a corrupt government for several years that fed off the people.”
Jill: The aspect of Manila life that stood out the most in Hey, Joe was the Philippine ability to make up a job wherever and wherever necessary. America’s poor do not have to work so hard… Lerner’s insight into Filipino survival carries on to the many other countries.. while Lerner obviously enjoys living in Manila a great deal, he still has the ability to convey the most disagreeable details…”
Brent : “In Hey,Joe American writer Ted Lerner does a magnificent job of describing to his readers all the uniqueness and charisma that the Philippine has to offer. Throughout the book he tells of his experiences there. In conversations that Lerner has with other Westerners, he makes a point to speak of comparisons made between the Philippines and other SE Asian nations.. Such narratives presented in this book by Lerner give off the image of the Philippines as being a better than average “Third World” nation that can stand a bit prouder than neighboring cultures. That even though the Filipinos have had their share of hardships, they try as best they can and without much harm or shame to earn some sort of living and get by.’
Kristin: Lerner paints Manila as a city made up of centuries-old traditions and buildings and streets that were in their prime decades ago. Topped off by all that is modern, seedy, and fleeting about Western culture.. when he talks about the car watchers, the luggage carrier, the taxi hailers, the parking space finders, bus vendors, and the window washer, all I could think about was the reputation poor people generally have… Cambridge History explains the process of transitioning to independence.. Hey Joe gives us the results.. Lerner tries to convey the sentiments of the Filipino..”
Tyson: I think Ted Lerner’s book is probably the most interesting one of the lot if I had to pick. He wrote the book almost a series of vignettes that, when read separately were very entertaining but as a whole painted a touching picture of the current state of the Philippines. I came away from “Hey, Joe” with a streak of guilt in me.. all of the poverty and pollution that was part of the Filipino experience was indirectly due to the United States involvement with that country.. With Lerner’s book I did come away with one positive nation, the human spirit will find a way to be happy in even the most adverse conditions. The people of Manila, however poor, are for the most part genuinely happy…”
Brenda: “ I found myself amused by the chapter that dealt with haggling over prices.. a certain type of person in Manila known as a “gap filler.” There are just too many people in the country and not enough good jobs to go around. These people make their living as best they can to get by..”
Gabriel: “Learning valuable information about the Philippines which he describes so well. My uneducated impression of the Philippines before reading this book was changed dramatically afterwards..”
Doug: After finishing Ted Lerner’s book Hey Joe the only theme that came to mind as “Only in the Philippines.” His witty stories of life in Manila brought both laughter and repulsion. His stories reminded me of a couple of experiences that I had in a brief two week stay in the Philippines in 1985.
John : “…is a compilation of stories about the observations and happenstance in Manila. He spent most of his time at bars, strip clubs, cock fight and boxing machines. So as a reader we view the Filipinos via these curious institutions. If almost functions as a working modern ethnography..”
Carl.. “I gained a better perspective on the influence of the United States colonialism in the Philippines. With the infusion of capitalism and democracy in the country, the people of the Philippines are turning to the United States for examples of how to make these systems works.. The popular culture of the U.S. is a disease that seems to be wiping out the cultures of other nations across the globe. I hope that the Philippines has not become too infected already.”
Tyler: “I found the stories to be fun to read but a also a got a lot of great information about the Philippines from the stories.. one of the first things that caught my attention.. was the sense of humor that the Filipinos seem to have. Collectively they seem to be extremely happy people, all except for the fact that they seem to believe in America as their oasis for riches and success.:
Jhon : “This book puts forth a disturbing image of Manila.”
Jimmie : “Having visited the Philippines on several occasions I agree with what Mr. Lerner had to say.. a unique country… people friendly and happy.. i really enjoyed the Philippines and its people…but we have to realize that as Mr. Lerner observed, the Philippines is really a third world country…”
Jason: “…five or six short stories that do a marvelous job of portraying life inside Manila and the Philippines.. they appear to be so fragmented by western lifestyles that there are no remains of their own unique culture, nor sense of nationalism..”
Amber : “…illustrated Manila and the Filipinos with such detail that I can’t help but think I am here with him, a bystander watching the bizarre episodes that he sees in the crazy city.. wonderful because they are not written by a mere tourist, but a transplant who lives in and of the city.. Ted is not a spectator but a participant…”
Coleen: “…I agree with Ted Lerner’s mother when she said “ Oi veyes mere!” The picture in my mind after reading Hey Joe is very colorful but very different than that image I previously envisioned.. he really seeks the adventures. From the casinos to the cockfights and all of the girl shops, Ted sacrifices himself for journalism..”
“In Hey,Joe American writer Ted Lerner does a magnificent job of describing to his readers all the uniqueness and charisma that the Philippine has to offer.”
“I think Ted Lerner’s book is probably the most interesting one of the lot if I had to pick.”
“My uneducated impression of the Philippines before reading this book was changed dramatically afterwards..”
“His witty stories of life in Manila brought both laughter and repulsion.”
“…he really seeks the adventures. From the casinos to the cockfights and all of the girl shops, Ted sacrifices himself for journalism..”
Thought you may enjoy their reactions. We appreciate your book-
Carole
To read an excerpt from ‘Hey, Joe’, please CLICK HERE
