Patron Saints of Nothing, Randy Ribay
Patron Saints of Nothing, Randy Ribay
2 Rating(s)
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Patron Saints of Nothing

Author: Randy Ribay

Narrator: Ramón de Ocampo

Unabridged: 9 hr 2 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/18/2019

Synopsis

A NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • A powerful coming-of-age story about grief, guilt, and the risks a Filipino-American teenager takes to uncover the truth about his cousin's murder.

A Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of the Century

"Brilliant, honest, and equal parts heartbreaking and soul-healing." --Laurie Halse Anderson, author of SHOUT

"A singular voice in the world of literature." --Jason Reynolds, author of Long Way Down

Jay Reguero plans to spend the last semester of his senior year playing video games before heading to the University of Michigan in the fall. But when he discovers that his Filipino cousin Jun was murdered as part of President Duterte's war on drugs, and no one in the family wants to talk about what happened, Jay travels to the Philippines to find out the real story.

Hoping to uncover more about Jun and the events that led to his death, Jay is forced to reckon with the many sides of his cousin before he can face the whole horrible truth -- and the part he played in it.

As gripping as it is lyrical, Patron Saints of Nothing is a page-turning portrayal of the struggle to reconcile faith, family, and immigrant identity.

About The Author

Randy Ribay was born in the Philippines and raised in the Midwest. He is the author of After the Shot Drops and An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes. He earned his BA in English Literature from the University of Colorado at Boulder and his Master's Degree in Language and Literacy from Harvard Graduate School of Education. He currently teaches English and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jessica on June 25, 2019

I received an ARC of this book for free from the publisher as part of a blog tour. Since I received an ARC, my quotes from the book are tentative. I just want to preface this review by saying this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. Like the main character of this book, I am half Filip......more

Goodreads review by Thomas on July 05, 2020

I really liked this young adult novel about grief, growing up, and going to explore your cultural roots. In Patron Saints of Nothing, we follow Jay Reguero, a college senior who feels ready to coast for the rest of his spring semester before heading to University of Michigan in the fall. Jay gets sh......more

Goodreads review by Paige on October 23, 2019

This is a YA novel with a powerful message spanning across several thematic thresholds. What is the truth worth? Who is accountable for the lives of the lost? Can we hold ourselves responsible for acts of inhumanity if we are not actively speaking up? If we don’t, then who will? "If we are to......more

Goodreads review by Olivia-Savannah on June 28, 2019

This book swept me in and took me away. I didn’t know what I was getting into when I started this book, but I came out of it emotional, informed and deeply moved. I’m going to tell you why in this review! I like to consider myself a pretty well-informed person when it comes to news and such. But this......more

Goodreads review by Althea ☾ on October 24, 2021

Everything was just way too realistic for me and way too close to home so <3 When I say that I related to this book on a whole other level, you better take my word for it as someone who has lived in the Philippines my whole life but has also seen more of the world than most other citizens. This quote......more

Quotes

A National Book Award Finalist
An NPR Best Book of the Year
An NBC News Best Asian American Young Adult Book of the Year
A Paste Best Young Adult Book of the Year
A New York Public Library Top 10 Best Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A USA Today Best Book of the Year So Far
A Raleigh News & Observer Best Book of the Year
A Junior Library Guild audio selection 
National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA) Freeman Book Award Winner
An L.A. Times Book Award Nominee  
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award 2021-2022
MISelf in Books 2020 Book List (Michigan)


FIVE STARRED REVIEWS
"Powerful and courageous." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Deep, nuanced, and painfully real." --Booklist, starred review

"A perfect convergence of authentic voice and an emphasis on inner dialogue." -- School Library Journal, starred review

"Passionately and fearlessly, Ribay delves into matters of justice, grief, and identity." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Compelling and informational" -- VOYA Magazine, starred review 

“A must-read.” – Erin Entrada Kelly, author of 2018 Newbery Award-winning Hello, Universe

 “Lyrical. Stunning. Searing…The real deal.”– Mark Oshiro, author of Anger Is a Gift

“Riveting, brilliantly told and deeply moving." – Francisco X. Stork, author of Disappeared

“Complex, gripping, haunting and deeply human… a story alive with longing and pain and grace.  – Kelly Gilbert, author of Picture Us In The Light

Awards

  • Los Angeles Times Book Prize
  • National Book Award Finalist
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