Rating: 
Summary: The Social Cancer
Review: It's about time this book was reprinted. Written by one of the heroes of the Philippine revolution, this book is a semi-autobiographical account of Philippine society during its days as a Spanish colony. Noli Me Tangere, roughly translated as "Touch Me Not," reflects the hypocrisy and corruption present in that time. Former translations have aptly titled it, "The Social Cancer." Juan Crisostomo Ibarra, the protagonist, returns to his country after being educated in Madrid, and seeks to marry Maria Clara, a young woman who had been betrothed to him when they were children. He tries to use his education to help the townspeople, but his efforts are thwarted by the clergy. It is these priests who prevent him from learning the true cause of his father's death, and he is eventually labeled as a heretic and is excommunicated from society. He escapes being assasinated and flees, vowing to revenge himself, his father, and Maria Clara. There is an incredible amount of detail in this novel, and the translation is superb. The characters are vivid -- who can forget Sisa's tragedy and the eerie Father Salvi? You don't have to be a historian or a student to enjoy this novel, and knowing nothing about that place or time period will not affect its intensity and pathos.
Rating:
Summary: Must-read
Review: Being 16, Filipino, in the US, and interested in my culture, I found turning to a novel by Jose Rizal a natural place to being my study. I already consider myself to have a good knowledge of Spanish occupation within the Philippine Islands, but I did not the severity of the wrongs which Spain and the clergy commited toward the Philippines. Reading Noli Me Tangere truly opened my eyes and has made my admiration for Rizal sky-rocket. The Noli is an amazing book, I didn't expect to be so absorbed in it. The aspects of Philippine life portrayed are really enlightening; and the story of each character's *confusing past* make the novel a great read! EVERY Filipino should read it, especially if you are a teen growing up outside the Philippines! Reading it will give you a lot of insight into our culture. It's simply an awesome book! I love it! Now I'm trying to get a copy of El Filibusterismo (sp?) to read!
Rating:
Summary: A teen's view on the Noli...
Review: Being 16, Filipino, in the US, and interested in my culture, I found turning to a novel by Jose Rizal a natural place to being my study. I already consider myself to have a good knowledge of Spanish occupation within the Philippine Islands, but I did not the severity of the wrongs which Spain and the clergy commited toward the Philippines. Reading Noli Me Tangere truly opened my eyes and has made my admiration for Rizal sky-rocket. The Noli is an amazing book, I didn't expect to be so absorbed in it. The aspects of Philippine life portrayed are really enlightening; and the story of each character's *confusing past* make the novel a great read! EVERY Filipino should read it, especially if you are a teen growing up outside the Philippines! Reading it will give you a lot of insight into our culture. It's simply an awesome book! I love it! Now I'm trying to get a copy of El Filibusterismo (sp?) to read!
Rating:
Summary: Great Story and Great Glimpse into Filipino Society
Review: Being one of the most highly regarded figures in the Philippines, Dr. Jose Rizal is admired as a symbol of Filipinos. His books are well-read in the Philippines, and have been very influential in the history of the Philippines. If nothing else, this book should be read for the historical impact is had and is having on the country. Here are some thoughts on the book.
(1) Though it was written over a century ago, I think the society and mindset of the individual has changed little. Having only lived in the Philippines for about a month, I still recognized many things in the book that seem to be true today. The love of the cockfight, the importance of the family, the corruption of the government, the friendliness of the people, the syncretism of religion, the superstition, and the importance of social status all still appear to be significant parts of the culture today.
(2) Being such a highly esteemed book in the Philippines, it surprised me that it was so anti-Catholic. I truly don't understand or know about the Catholic church today in the Philippines, but this novel expressed a deep resentment toward this religious institution that apparently abused and took advantage of the people of the Philippines. If this was really true, how has Catholicism survived in the Philippines?
(3) The story was great! The plot was interesting, the two heroes of the story (Iberra and Elias) were fun to root for, and the villains of the story were easy to hate (basically the Catholic church).
(4) There were too many characters. I was constantly confusing the different residents of San Diego, and these characters were not well developed. In the first part of the book, I could not keep the different Fathers strait. And in the last part of the book I could not keep the majors and the old women strait.
The book was great and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the Philippines. I think it paints a picture of the culture that can only be painted in narrative. A culture book, or an anthropology book cannot express what Jose Rizal expressed in this novel. I can't wait to read El Filebustermo!
Rating:
Summary: Provocative and passionate--a must for history buffs.
Review: If you read only one book about the Philippines, let it be this one. Although written over a century ago, the problems it pointed out still exist today (that is, the problems that exist today are the direct results of colonialism). This book was instrumental in ending the Spanish rule of the Philippines. It's a detailed portrait of 19th century Philippine society, an epic story, and a sharp critique of the Spanish friars who supported colonialism. Rizal's message comes out through the moving story involving the characters of Chrisostomo Ibarra, Maria Clara, Capitan Tiago, the philosopher Tasio, Sisa and her sons Basilio and Crispin, and the weak and evil Padre Salvi and Padre Damaso. In this translation from the original Spanish, the "flowery" style has been preserved. Although it is sometimes difficult to read, one really gets a sense of the time period. It's especially moving that Rizal was using the Spanish language in order to convince Filipinos to seek independence from Spain, and that many of the Spanish colonizers did not want Filipinos to learn Spanish! In the twists and turns of the plot, Rizal eloquently states how the Filipinos were wronged over and over again. Rizal, who just wanted Filipinos to have equal rights to the Spaniards living in the Philippines, was executed for treason, mainly because of this book. Though he was not as radical as those who wanted complete independence from Spain, he truly deserves to be called a national hero for his many talents (medicine, botany, languages, and sculpture) and for the artistry and ideas in this novel.
Rating:
Summary: The Social Cancer
Review: It's about time this book was reprinted. Written by one of the heroes of the Philippine revolution, this book is asemi-autobiographical account of Philippine society during its days as a Spanish colony. "Noli Me Tangere," roughly translated as "Touch Me Not," reflects the hypocrisy and corruption present in that time. Former translations have aptly titled it, "The SocialCancer." Juan Crisostomo Ibarra, the protagonist, returns to his country after being educated in Madrid, and seeks to marry Maria Clara, a young woman who had been betrothed to him when they were children. He tries to use his education to help the townspeople, but his efforts are thwarted by the clergy. It is these priests who prevent him from learning the true cause of his father's death, and he is eventually labeled as a heretic and is excommunicated from society. He escapes being assasinated and flees, vowing to revenge himself, his father, and Maria Clara. There is an incredible amount of detail in this novel, and the translation is superb. The characters are vivid -- who can forget Sisa's tragedy and the eerie Father Salvi? You don't have to be a historian or a student to enjoy this novel, and knowing nothing about that place or time period will not affect its intensity and pathos.
Rating:
Summary: A book that sparked a nation
Review: Noli Me Tangere has rightfully gained a place of national importance since it was completed in its original form - in Spanish - in 1887. Soledad Lacson-Locsin renews its spirit in this easy to read English language translation - complete with helpful footnotes and a warmth that only one close to the material can appreicate. "Noli" as it is affectionately called, forms part of the canon text in Filipino education. Translated into Tagalog, it brings a unique perspective to the life and times of colonial Philippines. Translated into English, it brings it to life for the rest of the world. As a simple introduction - without giving too much away - the story centers around two characters - Ibarra and Elias and the trials and tribulation surrounding their individual quests for happiness and justice. Standing between all this and the reason for all the discord is a power structure triad of the Church - mostly the Holy Orders; the State mechanism - the Civil Guards, the Alferez, etc.; and Culture - Imperial Culture to be more exact. Locked within this Discourse and the constraints applied on them by all these forces, Ibarra and Elias - forming both sides of Filipino existential angst and liberating spirit - are crushed beneath the wheel. Everyone is a victim. Rizal was by no means a seer of any kind. However, what rings true then, as it does now, is the way Filipinos create values. In a unique perspective as an emigre, Rizal completed this novel while he was in Spain - with all the joys and sense of perspective that was allowed. If we listen to him now as we listened to him then, perhaps we can transcend our human-all-too-humanes and become what we are capable of becoming. Written at about the same time as Nietzsche was writting, the message is almost similar yet also very different. While Noli was iconoclastic about the abuses of the church and the almost stunted sense of becoming, Nietzsche took it one step further and formed an indictment against the nihilism of Europe via the message of the church in general. What I am trying to say here is that Rizal and Nietzsche see a sense of becoming stunted by anti-humanist dogma. I salute both, who have gone to the great beyond ahead of us and read their messages of "becoming". If you wish to peek into the Filipino psyche - as a non -Filipino, there is no better avenue than Rizal's Noli - specially this version. As a Filipino at home as well as a Filipino abroad - we need to re-read Noli and heed its warning. We obviously did not learn about ourselves the way Rizal meant to teach us - the results are self evident. Once again, I have not read a finer translation than this one by Soledad Lacson-Locsin. As a metaphor for the Philippines, Maria Clara could not have looked more beautiful. Miguel Llora
Rating: 
Summary: A Melodrama of betrayal for a Life Betrayed
Review: The story of "Noli Me Tangere" is one of bitter ironies. It is the first major Filipino novel and one of the first novels in Asia written outside China and Japan. Yet it is written in a European language (Spanish). It is one of the first novels of anti-colonial rebellion, written by a man who was executed by the Spanish just as the country began its fight for independence. In many ways the Philippines more resembles Latin America than its Asian neighbors. Both colonial Philippines and colonial Latin America were dominated by a corrupt, bigoted and dogmatic Catholicism. Both were colonized (more or less) by Spain and both regions had the same tensions between Spaniards, Spaniards born in the colonies, "mixed blood" and the indigenous majority. Both had to suffer the cruelties of a foreign country who looked down at the colonies with contempt. But Spanish never became the vernacular of the Philippines and after the United States' brutal conquest, only a tiny portion of Filipinos can read the founding novel of their own literature. To make things worse, the translation of the novel has been cursed with political malice. As Benedict Anderson pointed out in "The Spectre of Comparisons" the main translation by Leon Guerrero was compromised in a variety of ways. For a start Guerrero, like most of the Filipino ruling class collaborated with the brutal Japanese invaders. Afterwards he was a player in the corrupt, clientele ridden dependent pseudo democracy of the post war years. Rather hostile to the United States, Guerrero's translation subtly and not so subtly bowdlerizes the novel, blunting not only its fierce anti-clericalism and contempt, but also mangling Rizal's unique, cutting tone. This translation is an improvement, though as Anderson points out, it is by no means perfect. As such one cannot be sure one appreciates Rizal's cunning, knowing, almost proto-modernist attitude towards the reader. As a result what we have may look a lot like a melodrama, as Juan Crisostomo Ibarra confronts grotesque injustices while he is falsely accused and cheated out of his love. Certainly we do not have an exemplar of realism like Rizal's contemporary, Benito Perez Galdos. One might think that the critique of Catholicism is very, very broad. The priests and laity are fanatical about Purgatory, and exploit the inhabitants for money for indulgences that reminds me of the endless loyalty oath campaigns in "Catch-22." They denounce modern education and hamper the building of a necessary school, they are so cruel to Ibarra's father that his corpse ends up dumped in a river, they chortle smugly over the damnation of their enemies. But there is a more cutting satire. Learning of a pogrom against the Chinese population, one character notes that they gave such good gifts for Christmas. If only they could have been killed after New Years. There are elaborate discussions of the many festivals and rituals of the Church that show a real talent for description. There are some fine scenes about being hampered and cursed by a callous bureaucracy and police. This is a novel that deserves a bigger audience and a better translation.
Rating:
Summary: A Melodrama of betrayal for a Life Betrayed
Review: The story of "Noli Me Tangere" is one of bitter ironies. It is the first major Filipino novel and one of the first novels in Asia written outside China and Japan. Yet it is written in a European language (Spanish). It is one of the first novels of anti-colonial rebellion, written by a man who was executed by the Spanish just as the country began its fight for independence. In many ways the Philippines more resembles Latin America than its Asian neighbors. Both colonial Philippines and colonial Latin America were dominated by a corrupt, bigoted and dogmatic Catholicism. Both were colonized (more or less) by Spain and both regions had the same tensions between Spaniards, Spaniards born in the colonies, "mixed blood" and the indigenous majority. Both had to suffer the cruelties of a foreign country who looked down at the colonies with contempt. But Spanish never became the vernacular of the Philippines and after the United States' brutal conquest, only a tiny portion of Filipinos can read the founding novel of their own literature. To make things worse, the translation of the novel has been cursed with political malice. As Benedict Anderson pointed out in "The Spectre of Comparisons" the main translation by Leon Guerrero was compromised in a variety of ways. For a start Guerrero, like most of the Filipino ruling class collaborated with the brutal Japanese invaders. Afterwards he was a player in the corrupt, clientele ridden dependent pseudo democracy of the post war years. Rather hostile to the United States, Guerrero's translation subtly and not so subtly bowdlerizes the novel, blunting not only its fierce anti-clericalism and contempt, but also mangling Rizal's unique, cutting tone. This translation is an improvement, though as Anderson points out, it is by no means perfect. As such one cannot be sure one appreciates Rizal's cunning, knowing, almost proto-modernist attitude towards the reader. As a result what we have may look a lot like a melodrama, as Juan Crisostomo Ibarra confronts grotesque injustices while he is falsely accused and cheated out of his love. Certainly we do not have an exemplar of realism like Rizal's contemporary, Benito Perez Galdos. One might think that the critique of Catholicism is very, very broad. The priests and laity are fanatical about Purgatory, and exploit the inhabitants for money for indulgences that reminds me of the endless loyalty oath campaigns in "Catch-22." They denounce modern education and hamper the building of a necessary school, they are so cruel to Ibarra's father that his corpse ends up dumped in a river, they chortle smugly over the damnation of their enemies. But there is a more cutting satire. Learning of a pogrom against the Chinese population, one character notes that they gave such good gifts for Christmas. If only they could have been killed after New Years. There are elaborate discussions of the many festivals and rituals of the Church that show a real talent for description. There are some fine scenes about being hampered and cursed by a callous bureaucracy and police. This is a novel that deserves a bigger audience and a better translation.
Rating: 
Summary: noli me tangere
Review: the translation of the two novels by charles derbyshire is a lot better to me than this one, no offense to this author intended. so is his translation of Rizal's "mi ultimo adios". I would appreciate it very much if somebody can steer me to copies of these again. Thanks.
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