What It Means To Be Malaya by Emmily
Magtalas Rhodes follows the moral and
psychological growth of Bunny, a young woman
on the brink of adulthood as she negotiates her
various relationships with her family and with
friends in school . . .
The novel is a social commentary that holds
a mirror to Philippine society, casting a critical
eye on our definition of success; obsession with
beauty contests; on beauty-enhancing products;
on Western standards of beauty and fashion;

on the advertising and PR industry; on church-
going people unaware and unmindful of the

disconnect between their religious practice and
their behavior toward other persons.

--Susan Lara,
Award-Wining Fictionist