Book Review of Randy David
Co, Mark Andrew
2008- 67502
When Things Go Though, Ask Randy
A book review of “Nation, Self, and Citizenship”
I. Theoretical Framework
If a person reads the book “Nation, Self, and Citizenship” by Randolf S. David, one would gain a general idea on the Philippine situation, oneself, and how oneself is situated in the nation. In addition to that, the very nature of the book, a collection of articles categorized and grouped in three main topics, makes it easy to read and easy to digest. Moreover, the author does this in a very conversational manner or sometimes in a storytelling fashion. And these are the reasons why the book succeeds in conveying to its audiences its messages and teachings.
Looking it at a micro level, one can’t help but find similarities with how the articles are structured. Like in the popular children’s series Harry Potter, the book acts like a bowl of “pensive” into the memories and thoughts of Prof. David. For most of the articles, the author initially sets the tone and context by giving a quick background or history of the topic. This may come in the form of an anecdote, quote, related news, or just a plain reverie. After which he then proceeds to layout the main problem or agenda and subtopics that are necessary and/or pertinent to the matter at hand. Next, he gives a solution or a comparison (in the hope of arriving to a solution) or just pinpointing the root of the problem. He usually gives his insights and opinions on the matter in this area. After that, he closes the article with a thought, quotation, or something to ponder on; most of which would incite emotions or actions. This framework/structure appears in several articles such as “Who’s Afraid Globalization”, “Looking Back at Edsa”, “The Powerless Public”, and many more. One would notice that this follows the basic form of storytelling and follows the graph such as in Figure 1.1. With such a basic framework, the author doesn’t have to worry about losing his audience or
2008- 67502
When Things Go Though, Ask Randy
A book review of “Nation, Self, and Citizenship”
I. Theoretical Framework
If a person reads the book “Nation, Self, and Citizenship” by Randolf S. David, one would gain a general idea on the Philippine situation, oneself, and how oneself is situated in the nation. In addition to that, the very nature of the book, a collection of articles categorized and grouped in three main topics, makes it easy to read and easy to digest. Moreover, the author does this in a very conversational manner or sometimes in a storytelling fashion. And these are the reasons why the book succeeds in conveying to its audiences its messages and teachings.
Looking it at a micro level, one can’t help but find similarities with how the articles are structured. Like in the popular children’s series Harry Potter, the book acts like a bowl of “pensive” into the memories and thoughts of Prof. David. For most of the articles, the author initially sets the tone and context by giving a quick background or history of the topic. This may come in the form of an anecdote, quote, related news, or just a plain reverie. After which he then proceeds to layout the main problem or agenda and subtopics that are necessary and/or pertinent to the matter at hand. Next, he gives a solution or a comparison (in the hope of arriving to a solution) or just pinpointing the root of the problem. He usually gives his insights and opinions on the matter in this area. After that, he closes the article with a thought, quotation, or something to ponder on; most of which would incite emotions or actions. This framework/structure appears in several articles such as “Who’s Afraid Globalization”, “Looking Back at Edsa”, “The Powerless Public”, and many more. One would notice that this follows the basic form of storytelling and follows the graph such as in Figure 1.1. With such a basic framework, the author doesn’t have to worry about losing his audience or