The Weight of the Sun

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.

The Weight of the Sun by Geronimo Tagatac is a collection of 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.

The Weight of the Sun is a strong collection of stories that kept me turning the pages, reading many stories at a single sitting. The writing is clean, simple and powerful, and the voice is one readers do not hear from often. Tagatac writes with vivid, detailed prose, often blurring the line between fantasy and reality. At times, most especially during the stories about Vietnam, the stories felt a little too much like thinly veiled biographies, but still were compelling reads. Other stories, though, such as 'The Orchard,' masterfully conveyed the relationship between a migrant father and his son in a way that felt pure literature. Highly recommended.

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 on to the most basic and important values--simple shining truths and the love of parents for their children. Tagatac poignantly shares the experiences of second generation children finding their way in a 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 Lawrence

I don't generally care for short stories or general fiction but a friend recommended the book so I decided to look through it. Then I couldn't put it down. Even the author's introduction is mesmerizing. What great storytelling! The style is graceful yet simple. I felt swept along into the book (exactly what I hope a story will do). The characters and places were richly drawn and well-conveyed. The stories themselves were interesting. The cover is impressive too.