whaliensong
constantly trying to find a balance between doing what i love (reading) and what i must (work)
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2h
Human Behavior in the Social Environment: Perspectives on Development and the Life Course
Anissa Taun Rogers
The fifth edition of Human Behavior in the Social Environment takes students through the life course perspective to give a concise, compact treatment of human behavior.
The text also comes with a rich companion website that includes support materials and six unique cases that encourage students to learn by doing and to apply their knowledge of human behavior to best practices.
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2h
Books I Read for my Human Behavior Class
by whaliensong
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5 books
I just wanted to keep track of the books my professor assigns for us to read from so hopefully I can look back to them someday!
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Post from the Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents forum
11h
whaliensong started reading...
11h
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents
Isabel Wilkerson
The Pulitzer Prizeâwinning, bestselling author of The Warmth of Other Suns examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.
âAs we go about our daily lives, caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, flashlight cast down in the aisles, guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance. The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about powerâwhich groups have it and which do not.â
In this brilliant book, Isabel Wilkerson gives us a masterful portrait of an unseen phenomenon in America as she explores, through an immersive, deeply researched narrative and stories about real people, how America today and throughout its history has been shaped by a hidden caste system, a rigid hierarchy of human rankings.
Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences peopleâs lives and behavior and the nationâs fate. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more. Using riveting stories about peopleâincluding Martin Luther King, Jr., baseballâs Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many othersâshe shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day. She documents how the Nazis studied the racial systems in America to plan their out-cast of the Jews; she discusses why the cruel logic of caste requires that there be a bottom rung for those in the middle to measure themselves against; she writes about the surprising health costs of caste, in depression and life expectancy, and the effects of this hierarchy on our culture and politics. Finally, she points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity.
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13h
whaliensong
May 09, 2026
May 09, 2026
4.5
Enjoyment: 4.5Quality: 5.0Characters: 5.0Plot: 4.5
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whaliensong finished a book
13h
But for the Lovers
Wilfrido D. Nolledo
In the 25 years since its original publication, But for the Lovers has acquired an underground reputation as one of the most remarkable novels about World War II, doing for the Pacific war theater what Joseph Heller's Catch-22 did for the European one. Set in the Philippines, But for the Lovers depicts the survival of a cross-section of Filipinos during the Japanese Occupation and the American Liberation. The cast is enormous, including an old man who used to wander the countryside entertaining children, a young girl raped by Japanese soldiers, guerrilla messengers bringing word of the coming of the American army, and a Japanese major who views the war as the first step of the liberation of the Asian people from Western civilization. This extraordinary novel is no less remarkable for the power and the beauty of its language than for the exotic and magical world it creates. Ranging from hallucinatory lyricism to documentary realism, from black humor sketches to scenes of horror and degradation, But for the Lovers is a rich and complex exploration of language, history, and mythology. The hardcover edition (Dutton, 1970) was praised by the New York Times Book Review as "stunning"; this is the first paperback edition, for which novelist Robert Coover has written an appreciative foreword.
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5d
I finished this book in March while I was in the Philippines and just never got to write a quick thought about it since then. El Akkad's "One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This" is a conversation that starts with Palestine and opens itself to a grander dialogue on the structures of power, the force of propaganda, and the privilege in which one can look away and move on when millions in another country lose their homes, their freedoms, and their lives. American freedom is costly, bloody, blind.
"If the people well served by a system that condones such butchery ever truly believed the same butchery could one day be inflicted on them, they'd tear the system down tomorrow." (p. 88)
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whaliensong wrote a review...
1w
whaliensong
Apr 26, 2026
Apr 26, 2026
4.0
Enjoyment: 5.0Quality: 3.0Characters: 4.0Plot: 3.5
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The graphic novel The Man in the McIntosh Suit is a pretty quick read about a migrant Filipino farmworker from the Manong generation in 1920s California. After receiving a letter suggesting his long-lost wife has arrived in San Francisco from the Philippines, main character Bobot embarks on a journey to find her.
This book leans heavily into classic noir tropes through its moody blue-tinted illustrations, looming corrupt businesses, and the violent underbelly of the Roaring '20s - from the misty city streets of San Francisco to the pitch darkness surrounding the euphoria resounding within Watsonville dance halls. Bobot's questionable behaviors themselves are indicative of noir protagonists that lose all sense of sanity act uncharacteristically as he obsesses with the idea of being with his wife again. It's melodramatic, gritty, and heartbreaking.
This is a story that shares the history of the exploitation of Filipino (and also Mexican) farmworkers that preludes the UFW Union, but more importantly, it sheds light on the humanity, on the lives these farmworkers left behind for the sake of the false promise of the American Dream. It paints a picture of the resilience of the Manongs, of the Filipino people, of the will to continue onward for the sake of one day reuniting once again with the families we dedicate our lives for. Even if the American Dream fails us, it seems to be in our blood to press on.
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1w
The Man in the McIntosh Suit
Rina Ayuyang
A Filipino-American take on Depression-era noir featuring mistaken identities, speakeasies, and lost love.
The year is 1929 and Bobot is just another migrant worker in rural California. Or rather, a migrant worker with a law degree from the Philippines reduced to manual labor in America. Bobot, like so many other young Filipinos, finds himself bunking in the fields, picking fruit by day. When his cousin writes claiming to have spotted his estranged wife in nearby San Francisco, he swipes a co-workerâs favorite nightclub suit and heads to the big city to find her. What follows is classic noir with seedy dives, mouthy pool sharks, and obsession.
Rina Ayuyang indulges her passion for old Hollywood and elaborate movie musicals while exploring her immigrant roots in a playful and mysterious drama, creating something she never saw but always had hoped forâa classic tale about people who looked just like her. The Man in the McIntosh Suit is a gripping, romantic, and psychological exploration of a fledgling community chasing the American dream in an unwelcoming society heightened by racial hostility and the bubbling undercurrent of the coming Great Depression.
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2w
The Man in the McIntosh Suit
Rina Ayuyang
A Filipino-American take on Depression-era noir featuring mistaken identities, speakeasies, and lost love.
The year is 1929 and Bobot is just another migrant worker in rural California. Or rather, a migrant worker with a law degree from the Philippines reduced to manual labor in America. Bobot, like so many other young Filipinos, finds himself bunking in the fields, picking fruit by day. When his cousin writes claiming to have spotted his estranged wife in nearby San Francisco, he swipes a co-workerâs favorite nightclub suit and heads to the big city to find her. What follows is classic noir with seedy dives, mouthy pool sharks, and obsession.
Rina Ayuyang indulges her passion for old Hollywood and elaborate movie musicals while exploring her immigrant roots in a playful and mysterious drama, creating something she never saw but always had hoped forâa classic tale about people who looked just like her. The Man in the McIntosh Suit is a gripping, romantic, and psychological exploration of a fledgling community chasing the American dream in an unwelcoming society heightened by racial hostility and the bubbling undercurrent of the coming Great Depression.
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3w
To Dream in Darkness: A Novel
Ann Liang
Two gods strike a bargain that leads them on a journey with devastating consequences in this lush historical fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Ann Liang.
China in the age of brilliance, where gods freely wander the three realms. Amongst them is the cruel and beautiful Death God, who has never failed to collect a soul on time. Until now. For when he seeks out Rujia, the noble god of healingâand the only god he is fated to kill with his own handsâshe makes him an offer he canât refuse: she will help lift the excruciating, century-old curse placed upon him if he gives her a one-month reprieve.
Rujia knows she isnât as noble as everyone believes. Her deal with Death is merely an excuse to buy herself time while she figures out an escape plan. But when her plan causes the Celestial Palaceâs collapse and the beloved crown princeâs disappearance, she and Death are both held responsible. The only way to avoid the wrath of all the other gods is to travel across the realms and safely retrieve the crown prince themselves.
Yet the journey proves far more treacherous than expected. As the unlikely alliance between them blooms into more, and Deathâs resolve to kill Rujia weakens by the day, neither can outrun their intertwined fate without devastating consequences: A mysterious plague. An empire-destroying flood. A thousand deathsâand risingâto restore the balance Rujia's disrupted. And if Rujia continues to live despite the will of the Heavens, this is only the beginning...
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3w
The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos
Melissa de la Cruz
Evan Saatchi canât keep his eyes off his new co-worker, Dalisay Ramos. Newly arrived from Manila to lead their travel appâs Asia division, nothing matters more to Dalisay than tradition and family. When Evan asks her out, she soundly rejects him for his cheek. Evan learns from his Filipino friends that Dalisay expects more from potential suitors. If he wants a chance with her, heâs going to have to go through the Five Stages, the same courtship ritual that lovers in the Philippines have performed for generations. At first, Evan is skepticalâwhat, exactly, does âservitudeâ entail? And he has to sing?! But when Dalisay bets Evan that he doesnât have the nerve to make it through the stages, the game is on. As Evan attempts to prove to Dalisay that he can win her heartâand the betâDalisay is driven to distraction by Evanâs sexy labors, and soon their âcourtshipâ turns into a sizzling secret. But when modern love and family expectations collide, Dalisay and Evan must find a way to carry a rich history into a shared future.
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8w
The Apothecary Diaries (Light Novel): Volume 2
Natsu Hyuuga
Dismissed from the rear palace, Maomao returns to service in the outer courtâas the personal serving woman to none other than Jinshi! That doesnât necessarily make her popular with the other ladies, but a bit of jealousy might be the least of her problems. A mysterious warehouse fire, an official with a very bad case of food poisoning, and the mysterious last will and testament of a deceased craftsman all demand her attentionâbut are these cases really separate, or do they share a troubling connection? Then thereâs the mysterious military man who continually visits Jinshi. Heâs strange, maybe even a little twisted... and he seems very interested in Maomao.
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whaliensong finished a book
9w
Sparkling Cyanide (Colonel Race, #4)
Agatha Christie
Six people sit down to a sumptuous meal at a table laid for seven. In front of the empty place is a sprig of rosemary- "rosemary for remembrance." A strange sentiment considering no one is likely to forget the night, exactly a year ago, that Rosemary Barton died at exactly the same table, her beautiful face unrecognizable, convulsed with pain and horror.
But then Rosemary had always been memorableâshe had the ability to arouse strong passions in most people she met. In one case, strong enough to kill...
Titled in America Remembered Death.
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whaliensong started reading...
9w
But for the Lovers
Wilfrido D. Nolledo
In the 25 years since its original publication, But for the Lovers has acquired an underground reputation as one of the most remarkable novels about World War II, doing for the Pacific war theater what Joseph Heller's Catch-22 did for the European one. Set in the Philippines, But for the Lovers depicts the survival of a cross-section of Filipinos during the Japanese Occupation and the American Liberation. The cast is enormous, including an old man who used to wander the countryside entertaining children, a young girl raped by Japanese soldiers, guerrilla messengers bringing word of the coming of the American army, and a Japanese major who views the war as the first step of the liberation of the Asian people from Western civilization. This extraordinary novel is no less remarkable for the power and the beauty of its language than for the exotic and magical world it creates. Ranging from hallucinatory lyricism to documentary realism, from black humor sketches to scenes of horror and degradation, But for the Lovers is a rich and complex exploration of language, history, and mythology. The hardcover edition (Dutton, 1970) was praised by the New York Times Book Review as "stunning"; this is the first paperback edition, for which novelist Robert Coover has written an appreciative foreword.
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whaliensong finished a book
9w
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This
Omar El Akkad
From award-winning novelist and journalist Omar El Akkad comes a powerful reckoning with what it means to live in the heart of an Empire which doesnât consider you fully human.On Oct 25th, after just three weeks of the bombardment of Gaza, Omar El Akkad put out a tweet: âOne day, when itâs safe, when thereâs no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when itâs too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.â This tweet was viewed over 10 million times. One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This chronicles the deep fracture which has occurred for Black, brown, indigenous Americans, as well as the upcoming generation, many of whom had clung to a thread of faith in western ideals, in the idea that their countries, or the countries of their adoption, actually attempted to live up to the values they espouse. This book is a reckoning with what it means to live in the west, and what it means to live in a world run by a small group of countriesâAmerica, the UK, France and Germany.⯠It will be The Fire Next Time for a generation that understands weâre undergoing a shift in the so-called ârules-based order,â a generation that understands the west can no longer be trusted to police and guide the world, or its own cities and campuses. It draws on intimate details of Omarâs own story as an emigrant who grew up believing in the western project, who was catapulted into journalism by the rupture of 9/11. This book is his heartsick breakup letter with the west. It is a breakup we are watching all over the U.S., on college campuses, on city streets, and the consequences of this rupture will be felt by all of us. His book is for all the people who want something better than what the west has served up. This is the book for our time.
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10w
Fishbone Cinderella
Elizabeth Lim
A bracelet. A curse. And golden fishbones to be returned to the sea ...Guangdong, 1940. When Ha Yut Ying narrowly escapes Japanese soldiers by turning invisible, she knows her new-found magic must be kept a secret. But her mother, whose dreams foretell the future, suspects her daughter has changed, and warns her of a curse upon their family. For her protection, she gives her a gold bracelet whose links are shaped like fishbones.âAfter the war, Ha Yut Ying is sent to live with her father and his second wife, who have become wealthy factory owners in Hong Kong. Her stepmother, jealous of her beauty, forces her to work in the family's shoe factory.But when Yut Ying collides with a boy on a bicycle on her way to work, she loses her bracelet. The boy is Tommy Yeung, scion of a local soymilk tycoon. And their encounter will change both of their destinies forever...
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12w
Mad Sisters of Esi
Tashan Mehta
Myung and Laleh are keepers of the whale of babel. They roam within its cosmic chambers, speak folktales of themselves, and pray to an enigmatic figure they know only as 'Great Wisa'. To Laleh, this is everything. For Myung, it is not enough.
When Myung flees the whale, she stumbles into a new universe where shapeshifting islands and ancient maps hold sway. There, she sets off on an adventure that is both tragic and transformative, for her and Laleh. For at the heart of her quest lies a mystery that has confounded scholars for centuries: the truth about the mad sisters of Esi.
Fables, dreams and myths come together in this masterful work of fantasy by acclaimed author Tashan Mehta, sweeping across three landscapes, and featuring a museum of collective memory and a festival of madness. At its core, it asks: In the devastating chaos of this world, where all is in flux and the truth ever-changing, what will you choose to hold on to?
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13w
Sisters in the Wind
Angeline Boulley
From the instant New York Times bestselling author of Firekeeperâs Daughter and Warrior Girl Unearthed comes a daring new mystery about a foster teen claiming her heritage on her own terms.
Ever since Lucy Smithâs father died five years ago, âhomeâ has been more of an idea than a place. She knows being on the run is better than anything waiting for her as a âward of the state.â But when the sharp-eyed and kind Mr. Jameson with an interest in her case comes looking for her, Lucy wonders if hiding from her past will ever truly keep her safe.
Five years in the foster system has taught her to be cautious and smart. But she wants to believe Mr. Jameson and his âfriend-not-friend,â a tall and fierce-looking woman who say they want to look after her.
They also tell Lucy the truth her father hid from her: She is Ojibwe; she has â had â a sister, and more siblings; a grandmother whoâd look after her and a home where she would be loved.
But Lucy is being followed. The past has destroyed any chance of normal she has had, and now the secrets sheâs hiding will swallow her whole and take away the future she always dreamed of.
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