Jaw

In JAW, America pulls a splinter out of a child’s hand, a man hides beneath a body to avoid Japanese soldiers, and God eats spam, white rice, and a fried egg. Giving us an inside look into microaggressions in America, these poems present American and Filipino cultures side by side as they grapple with immigration, identity, and family. This book invites us into the most vulnerable moments of a life, such as a grandfather decomposing in a coffin across from a little boy’s bedroom. To read this collection is to wade through the complexities of place, identity, and the Filipino immigrant experience.