Daughter of Samar

Written by a native daughter of the Visayas, Philippines, in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan's devastation of the Philippines, this touching memoir tells the story of what it was like growing up in the tiny fishing village of Guinob-an, in Eastern Samar, Philippines during the 1970's when there was no electricity, no running water and people lived a simple, beautiful life of fishing and coconut farming. The youngest of twelve children and the daughter of a native fisherman, Lorena Llevado raced down to the beach every day to meet her father when he would return from fishing; she walked with her mother up into the jungle to the family coconut plot; she would clamber into guava trees on the forty-five minute walk to school to gather her snacks for the day. Life turned adventurous when the war between the Philippine military and communist insurgents came to town, forcing the family to evacuate to remote Homonhon island where they lived off the sea and land for a year. The book is a treasure of detailed, emotionally charged memories of a way of life that should be remembered with delight.