4.5 stars
~
Wow. I mean, I was expecting it to be good, but it definitely didn’t disappoint.
Patron Saints follows Jay, a Filipino-American teen as he returns to his roots and searches for the truth behind his cousin’s killing as a part of the Philippines’ war on drugs.
I must admit, I was nervous going into it because it’s called Patron Saints of Nothing. Patron saints are a Catholic belief, and as a Catholic, I have seen lots of bad and insulting representation in YA fiction. However, all talk of Catholicism and religion in general was very respectful and well thought out. In the story Jay talks about being raised Catholic and enjoying Mass, but that his family has fallen away from the faith. He does express a little remorse at that at one point but overall doesn’t seem interested in returning to the faith—which is perfectly fine! I love that even though he doesn’t always agree with the Church or believe in it, he still sees the beauty in the prayer and tradition.
Jun, Jay’s cousin who died, expresses distaste for the Church in letters he wrote to Jay when they were younger, but even this is done respectfully. Ribay showed that you can disagree with a religion and still be respectful towards it and that made me love the book all the more.
It also had beautiful, sometimes heartbreaking descriptions into life in the Philippines. I learned a lot from this book and definitely had a shift in my perspective. I wholeheartedly recommend this book!
~
Wow. I mean, I was expecting it to be good, but it definitely didn’t disappoint.
Patron Saints follows Jay, a Filipino-American teen as he returns to his roots and searches for the truth behind his cousin’s killing as a part of the Philippines’ war on drugs.
I must admit, I was nervous going into it because it’s called Patron Saints of Nothing. Patron saints are a Catholic belief, and as a Catholic, I have seen lots of bad and insulting representation in YA fiction. However, all talk of Catholicism and religion in general was very respectful and well thought out. In the story Jay talks about being raised Catholic and enjoying Mass, but that his family has fallen away from the faith. He does express a little remorse at that at one point but overall doesn’t seem interested in returning to the faith—which is perfectly fine! I love that even though he doesn’t always agree with the Church or believe in it, he still sees the beauty in the prayer and tradition.
Jun, Jay’s cousin who died, expresses distaste for the Church in letters he wrote to Jay when they were younger, but even this is done respectfully. Ribay showed that you can disagree with a religion and still be respectful towards it and that made me love the book all the more.
It also had beautiful, sometimes heartbreaking descriptions into life in the Philippines. I learned a lot from this book and definitely had a shift in my perspective. I wholeheartedly recommend this book!