6 FilAm Non-Fiction Writers and Their Latest Releases You Need to Read

By Jennifer Redondo

In an era where representation matters more than ever, we've come a long way from the days when Filipino Americans struggled to find narratives that spoke to their unique experiences. Today, we're living in a time where our stories are being celebrated and shared across a diverse media landscape. Within the rich tapestry of the Fil-Am community, authors are emerging as powerful voices, each offering a distinct perspective on what it's like to navigate a world where they may be "the only" - whether it's as a mixed Filipino kid, a gay brown kid, a child growing up in poverty, or someone with a privileged background.

While their individual journeys and stories differ, there's one common thread that binds them together: they are Filipino Americans who are actively documenting history, giving voice to our experiences, and sharing these narratives with a global audience. These are the authors of today, and their latest releases promise to be essential reads that will resonate with our millennial generation and beyond. Join us as we explore the work of six remarkable Filipino American non-fiction writers and their most recent contributions to the literary world.

1. Malaka Gharib - It Won’t Always Be Like This 

Malaka Gharib is a journalist, cartoonist and graphic novelist. In addition to publishing two books, Gharib works as a digital editor at National Public Radio (NPR) for Life Kit, which is a lifestyle podcast about health, finance, relationships and more. 

Gharib’s first book, I Was Their American Dream, is a graphic memoir published in 2019. I Was Their American Dream documents her experience as a first-generation Filipino Egyptian American growing up in Cerritos, California, which has a large Asian population. Being a mixed kid, Gharib shares how she was often asked, “What are you?” On her Instagram, Gharib shared her “greatest wish in the world was to feel a sense of belonging and be a writer and artist.” Her wish came true as she shares the struggles and joys as a first-gen American. It’s a quick read that is very relatable and entertaining!  

Gharib’s latest book, It Won’t Always Be Like This, was written and drawn during the pandemic, and was published in 2022. After her parents’ divorce, Gharib would travel to Egypt to spend time with her dad over the summer. In her latest memoir, she shares what it’s like to be an American girl spending time with her Egyptian father and his new family. In her own words, “This book explores how we as people don’t need much to love others – not even a common language, culture or knowledge or social norms – and traces how I grow and become a woman and forge connections in the Middle East, a world that defined me, but never quite felt accessible to me”.   

2. Anthony Christian Ocampo - Brown and Gay in LA 

Anthony Christian Ocampo, Ph.D. is Professor of Sociology at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Ocampo is also the co-host of the podcast Professor-ing. He was also featured in Netflix’s documentary, White Hot: The Rise and Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch, where he weighs in on racially discriminatory hiring practices that he experienced as a former employee. 

Ocampo has been featured in NPR Morning Edition, NPR Codeswitch, Latino USA, The New York Times, NBC, BBC, Remezcula, and Balitang America. Ocampo is the recipient of fellowships from the Ford Foundation, Jack Jones Literary Arts, Tin House, and the Voices of Our Nation Arts Foundation. Ocampo has written several books including Latinos of Asia, Contemporary Asian America, and his latest Brown and Gay in LA which he launched in September 2022. 

In Brown and Gay in LA: The Lives of Immigrant Sons, Ocampo features second-generation gay men living in Los Angeles. He talks from personal experience about what it’s like to be a person of color and gay. He shares how in most immigrant cultures, masculinity dominates, gay sexuality is unspoken, and heterosexuality is strictly enforced. He shares his experiences, in hopes that others will not feel alone. Instead, he wants them to be felt, seen and heard.   

3. Bretman Rock - You’re That Bitch & Other Cute Lessons About Being Unapologetically Yourself 

Bretman Rock Sacayanan is a Filipino-American social media personality and digital influencer based in Honolulu, Hawaii. Rock started as a creator on Vine and YouTube, sharing makeup tutorials and daily shenanigans and antics. This opened up the gates of opportunity for Rock to collaborate with many large brands like Wet N Wild Beauty, MAC Cosmetics, Dime Optics, and more. In recent years, Rock has moved away from the beauty industry and is focusing on other areas with good energy and people. Most recently, Rock has partnered with Nike, Wanderlust Creamery and more.  

Rock has received many awards including Time’s 30 Most Influential Teens (2017), Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia – Media, Marketing, & Advertising (2018), People’s Choice award for “Beauty Influencer” (2019), and MTV’s Movie and TV Awards “Breakthrough Social Star” (2021). Rock has also graced the covers of Vogue Philippines and Playboy. 

In 2021, Rock starred in a reality TV show, MTV’s Following: Bretman Rock. Viewers were able to learn more about Rock’s family and numerous pets: dogs, cats, guinea pigs, turtles, chickens, and roosters. On February 14, 2023, Rock published their first memoir, You’re That Bitch & Other Cute Lessons About Being Unapologetically Yourself. It’s fitting that it was released on Valentine’s Day, as it is a love letter to themself and their fans. Rock wanted to share other sides of themself that they’d never shared with the world. Aside from being a boss, they are also a saver and lover. Rock wants readers to know that “you’re that bitch I want people to see themselves in the book, life issues, and figuring out the world as a young adult.” 

4. Loida Lewis - Why Should Guys Have All the Fun?: An Asian American Story of Love, Marriage, Motherhood, and Running a Billion-Dollar Empire 

Loida Lewis is a Filipino-born American businesswoman, lawyer, philanthropist, and author. In 1974, Lewis was the first Asian woman to pass the New York Bar exam, without attending law school in the United States. She practiced immigration law, and in 1992 she co-authored How to Get a Green Card after winning her discrimination case against the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. A few years later, her husband, Reginald F. Lewis died. Eventually, at the age of 52, Lewis took over as CEO and Chair of TLC Beatrice International, a $2 billion multinational food company. Currently, Lewis serves as the CEO and Chair of TLC Beatrice, a family investment firm. She is also active in politics and is also the co-founder of the National Federation of Filipino-American Associations (NaFFAA), which exists to empower Filipino Americans. 

Her late husband wrote a book about Why Should White Guys Have All the Fun? After 30 years, she finally decided it was her turn to tell her story at the age of 80. In March 2023, Lewis launched her first book, Why Should Guys Have All the Fun?: An Asian American Story of Love, Marriage, Motherhood, and Running a Billion Dollar Empire.  It was important for Lewis to launch her book during International Women’s Month. She truly believes that women are capable – anything that a man can do, we can do better. She encourages women not to be afraid to take on challenges.  

In her book, Lewis delves into her life – growing up in a well-to-do family in the Philippines, how she met the love of her life on a blind date in New York, and how they built a billion-dollar business empire. She shares what it’s like to be a Christian-oriented Filipina in a business world dominated by white males, and what it was like to raise her two bi-racial daughters as a widow. She shares both her successes and miscalculations while overseeing a multibillion-dollar multinational corporation, especially as she had to weather some tough times without her partner.  

This autobiography is a must-read for anyone who’s dealing with obstacles and trying to find the perseverance to keep pushing on, no matter how hard life gets. Lewis is a testament to keep believing and keep moving forward.  

5. Berna Anat - Money Out Loud: All the Financial Stuff No One Taught Us

Berna Anat is a producer, speaker, podcast host, and self-proclaimed “Financial Hype Woman”! She creates financial education media which she shares on social media platforms. Anat got her start in personal finance trying to dig herself out of $42,000 in student loans and $12,000 in credit card debt. Meanwhile, trying to save enough money to quit life to travel around the world for a year, while producing free financial literacy content online.

Anat is one of the authors featured in In Her Purpose: 40 Principles of Asian Women Redefining Success on Their Own Terms, which was published in 2020. Three years later, Anat debuted Money Out Loud: All the Financial Stuff No One Taught Us. In her first solo book, Anat dives into topics that she wishes she knew more about. She talks about shame, learning, and taking responsibility and power into her own hands. If you want a fun, relatable resource on how to learn about personal finance, from a perspective that’s not “hella male, hella pale, and hella stale, then this book is for you. Anat will teach you how to budget, save, and celebrate your hard-earned money. 

6. Geena Rocero - Horse Barbie 

Geena Rocero is a Filipino-born model and transgender advocate. Rocero started her career in the pageant circuit in the Philippines, then immigrated to the United States at the age of 17. Four years later, Rocero signed to NEXT Model Management where she spent 9 years modeling, hiding her transgender identity.  She worked with international swimsuit and beauty brands and even appeared in a John Legend music video. Her big coming out moment was in 2014 when she came out publicly in a TED talk.  

In 2023, Rocero launched her memoir, Horse Barbie, where she details how she lived in stealth mode. As a fashion model, she entered an industry where she was noticed for her image. However, she was consciously living invisible. Geena talks about how she grew up in the Philippines, where there is cultural visibility for trans people, but no political rights, which is opposite from the United States. Writing this book was Rocero’s way to process, look back, and heal. It was a cathartic experience for Rocero.   

Now, Rocero feels that her purpose is much bigger. From being “the only one” in the room and trailblazing, opening the doors for the future generation. Rocero is the founder of Gender Proud, a media production company that is a platform that she uses to tell stories and represent the transgender community worldwide. 

This is a very diverse list, and they’re all interesting and informational reads. Add them to your list of books to read. They’re available on all major platforms. If you’d like to support small businesses, check out bookshop.org. If you’re in southern California, head to Belcanto Books in Long Beach. 

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Written by Jennifer Redondo

Co-Founder and Co-Author of In Her Purpose

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