45 pages • 1 hour read
America is in the Heart
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
America is in the Heart is a semi-autobiographical novel published in 1946 by the Filipino American author Carlos Bulosan. A coming of age narrative told in four parts, the story begins in the Philippines, ends in America, and spans decades. Scholars compare it to other social activism classics like John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, but America is in the Heart is unique in that it portrays the plight of Filipino immigrants in America during the first half of the 20th century. According to the journalist Carey McWilliams, America is in the Heart is "[t]he premier text of the Filipino American experience." (McWilliams, Carey. America is in the Heart. Seattle: University of Washington Press. 2014.)
Plot Summary
Carlos Bulosan—who goes by Allos for most of the book—is an illiterate peasant child in Binalonan, Philippines in the 1910s. His awareness of his family is limited to impressions. His father is a sad, hard-working man forced to watch the amount of land he is allowed to farm dwindle. His mother is a long-suffering, perennially pregnant woman with a generous heart but no real aspirations beyond survival. Allos has four brothers whom he has never even met during the first part of the book: Unlock all 45 pages of this Study Guide Plus, gain access to 8,900+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
