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CECILIA'S DIARY 1962-1969 by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard Anvil, 2003, softcover,
166 pages Available from http://www.anvilpublishing.com; email: anvilpublishing@yahoo.com Distributed in the
US by: |
CECILIA MANGUERRA BRAINARD: PHILIPPINE AMERICAN WRITER CALIFORNIA CEBU
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Catholic school girl’s diary is vivid account (Philippine
Star, May 19, 2003)
Anvil Publishing releases another book by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard,
internationally celebrated and award-winning author and editor. Cecilia’s
Diary: 1962-1969, is a faithful record of Brainard’s days as a young colegiala.
It is refreshing and funny, replete with references to a religious upbringing
and a privileged lifestyle. Reading a diary may seem like voyeurism, but
the inner thoughts of Catholic girls make for an interesting study on teen angst.
On dating, the young Cecilia writes “Jun said I’m much prettier than Priscilla and more intelligent too. I asked him what he thought of a girl who’s intelligent but not pretty. He said it takes an intelligent boy to fall for an intelligent girl.
“I think that I’ll marry (if I marry) an engineer or businessman. …It would be perfect, if I become an industrial engineer. …Help me, dear God. I’ll always remember the small but important things Sister Miguela told us: always be neat, learn how to cook, save money, how to work, how to sacrifice. Real love is self-sacrifice. I wonder if I shall learn to sacrifice to someone.
“Oh dear God, whoever, wherever my future husband is, please protect him. Keep him pure, holy, and good. May we meet each other properly, and may everything turn out fine. Help him, dear God. Thank you.”
Cecilia’s Diary inspires a comparison of the different generations of Filipinas. Regardless of time, the book is a vivid account of growing up, to which all young Filipinas can identify with. It can also serve as a valuable reference to high school students who are keen on starting their own journals.
As Cecilia aptly puts it “Age is a state of mind. The more one thinks of what was, the older he is. The young are the ones who think of tomorrow.”
Copies of Cecilia’s Diary from are
available at all National Bookstore and Powerbooks branches. A special
student edition is available for adoption in the high school level. For
inquiries, please call Anvil Publishing at 6719235/6711899.
CLICK HERE FOR A REVIEW BY ERMA CUIZON, SUNSTAR WEEKEND
E-mail questions/comments
to cbrainard@aol.com
Copyright © 2008 Cecilia
Manguerra Brainard
