BOOK REVIEW: 56 by Bob Ong

I had a hiatus for the last three, or five months. It's nice to write again. Woooooot! Although of course, my writing. RIGHT. I'm lacking practice these days. If you think this book review is lame, please do tell me. Yikes!

 

Bob Ong's seventh book talks about multitude of subjects about his family, the voices inside his head he called "Pokemons", logical fallacies of internet trolls, social media etiquettes, grueling long queues of government offices, how to be a better reader, being a responsible voter, living alone in a big city, and ultimately... marriage.

As usual, his target audiences are young adults as he addresses "coming-of-age" advices about growing up and learning the cheap tricks of the society.

Once again, he proved to be a trusted writer (and yes, he impresses me a lot) as he had done numerous research to come up with the conclusion that he wants to get across. We don't know his true identity—he has been very secretive about it—but he finally solidified his mark in the literature by his no nonsense opinions, and backing it up with his well-researched and reliable information. Away from the usual light subjects like ABNKKBSNPL Ako, Ong shifted into more socially relevant topics to make the next generation turn their focus away from themselves to outward events that makes them functional and responsible adults.

 

Pandayan bookshop told me that his works are under Malikhaing Sanaysay or Creative Essays (or Creative Non-fiction?) genre, so it never has a definitive plot and characters to begin with. Yet, this documentary is a detailed with enumerations and knock-out jokes that I can’t help but wonder how much time he has with his hands. He has read a multitude of topics to create something substantial and yet so close to the masses.

The tone of the voice is very conversationalist yet professional. There are even moments that I am reading this on the bus. Additionally, the erotic pages are humorous (because really, the sexual metaphors are so off-key and... eww) to re-catch the attention of these "semi-children" when the topic gets boring/serious. I must admit, his storytelling was very light, as he chooses a simple set of vocabularies, so I never see it as anything boring. However, if the reader is far younger, a little less ready, or a little more teen, these pages are awkward yet effective mood-shifters.

Last year, I finally had the time to read Mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan and mentioned in my book review that it lacks unity to build up the tension of the cliffhanger. In his latest book, he finally addresses it, on chapter 55, and I quote: "Mas mabuti na ang librong maraming sinasabi kumpara sa librong walang sinasabi" . At some point, he has silenced my doubts if he can really write a cohesive manifesto with only a single topic. What I realized is, I don't really have to tell him what to do with his writing style. I just have to understand what makes Bob Ong a writer, and accept his writing style the way other writers respect each other.

Blah, blah, blah, gibberish. I'm sleepy.

*** I am planning to write a book review about The Handmaid's Tale, or anything classic, but I feel I don't deserve to write a review about it. The book might get butchered in my undeserving hands. Hehe. Haha.