Book Review: Love, Dance and Egg Rolls

Editor's Note: This review was originally published in Seattle Book Review.

Jason Tanamor

High school is prime time for novel experiences, self-discovery, cultivating meaningful friendships, and more. For Filipino-American teenager Jamie Santiago, adolescent drama is punctuated by his involvement in a cultural dance troupe, protests against white supremacy, and navigating everyday encounters with a racist bully. His family and friends DEnnis and Walter serve as his lifeline. Then there’s Bethany, the Goth girl with legendary breakdance moves. While mutual interests bring them together, they also face a scheduling dilemma: Homecoming falls on the same night as the Asian Folk Festival.

Jason Tanamor excels in bringing Jamie’s lovelorn and not-so-ordinary existence to life in Love, Dance & Egg Rolls. It is an endearing story of a young man who is doing his best to be anchored in both Filipino and American cultures, while also just being a regular kid. Tanamor tackles issues relatable to Fil-Ams: from being treated as an outsider during the Trump administration to the guilt of feeling inadequately Filipino in American society. He incorporates familiar tropes of Filipino life: from uniquely Pinoy mannerisms, karaoke in the living room, to love and nourishment derived from grandmother’s cooking.

This book is a refreshing and honest take on how young bicultural Americans straddle their allegiance to both cultures as they define their cultural identity.

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