To be Free by Edilberto K. Tiempo"To be Free" is a story about the life of a typical Filipino family who struggled to survive the three colonial eras--Spanish, American and Japanese. The Alcantaras are the main characters of the story but I also have to add that the book isn't JUST about them. They, including the community in which they belonged to represented the lives of most Filipinos throughout the course of History.
The characters fought all the rest of their lives for freedom even if there were certain instances wherein there were more chances of losing. That was exactly the idea--to fight even if you can’t win because freedom is worth dying for. The book tells us just how much freedom is worth. It could not even be defined exactly by words. It is made certain though that a man or a woman’s life is nothing but a folly if he/she behaves like a robot; if he/she does not liberate himself/herself in any manner.
There are a lot of flashbacks from chapter to chapter but you can treat it as though it were a puzzle because once you finished reading it, that’s the time when you can arrange the events/scenes in a more sequential manner so that it gives you a clearer understanding of the whole.
I would like to recommend this book. I believe that literary masterpieces such as this are very important and should really be read by citizens. They make us understand why we should be proud of our country and of who we are.
I think they still sell copies of this at the local bookstores, you might want to check them out.
You can also check the book review at Alex Mascara's Site.
