READING about the lives of other people is always a powerful experience, so biographies and similar book projects remain among the most popular of releases.

The simple truth is, the more compelling the subject’s life, the more compelling the reading, and the wide spectrum of persons being profiled offers us a veritable universe of reading possibilities.

Two recent Philippine biographies display different approaches to their subjects but both reveal different facets about their subjects, giving readers an inspiring, intimate view into the extraordinary lives being written about.

“A Jesuit Safari: Essays and Interviews on Fr. James J. O’Brien, SJ” takes a cerebral, comprehensive approach in celebrating the life of the man that students, friends and admirers called “Fr. O’B.” A lifelong Jesuit teacher, O’Brien forever changed lives when he established the Tulong Dunong Scholarship Program at the Ateneo High School in the 1970s. Tulong Dunong not only gave deserving, underprivileged students opportunities to top-tier schools but also gave the Ateneo high school seniors the chance to teach and enrich their own lives.

But even on his own, O’Brien left a palpable impact on the young people he met. Edited by Emmanuel Quintos Velasco, Aries Belza Espinosa and Noel Romero del Prado, “A Jesuit Safari” was published last year to coincide with the 20th anniversary of O’Brien’s death in 1994. “A Jesuit Safari” collects remembrances and interviews with those who knew O’Brien from his first Philippine assignment in Naga in 1961 to his time at the Ateneo de Manila in 1971 and the years beyond.

The broad range of contributions show us a deeply devoted mentor who believed in tough love and had deep compassion. These memories of O’Brien paint the portrait of a man who so loved the Philippines he became a Filipino citizen and seemed larger than life, but never considered himself above others. The voluminous narratives are heartfelt and personal, aptly representing the “living community” the editors sought out to put together “A Jesuit Safari.”

Among the many fond remembrances here are those from a wide range of contributors, including Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, SJ; actor Jaime Fabregas; writer Sarge Lacuesta; Inquirer columnist Conrado de Quiros; journalist Howie Severino; actress Angel Aquino; and many former students and colleagues.

“Fr. O’B spent the entirety of his productive life in the service of the Filipinos, and the Church. He journeyed long into an unknown culture and into uncharted hearts. Through his faith in man, he found a people that grew to trust and honor him as their own. By his love for God, he lifted up the needy, and placed them on the path to a bright tomorrow,” Velasco writes in his introduction.

All the proceeds from the sales of “A Jesuit Safari” go to the Tulong Dunong Scholarship program.

If you’re interested in getting a copy, please contact Aries Belza Espinosa at [email protected].

‘Ka Louie’

 

Launched last April 25, “Louie Jalandoni, Revolutionary: An Illustrated Biography” takes a radical, visual approach to telling the story of the man best known as the chief negotiator of the National Democratic Front—Philippines (NDFP), the political arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines, the man they call “Ka Louie.”

Published by the Netherlands-based International Network of Philippine Studies, “Louie Jalandoni, Revolutionary” is written by Ina Alleco Silverio and is illustrated, in evocative black-and-white comic book pages, by artists Renan Ortiz, Fernando Argosino, Neil Doloricon, Roberto Elias, Mervin Malonzo, Enrico Maniago and Max Santiago, something that works well with the book’s oversized paperback format. “Louie Jalandoni, Revolutionary” adds an introduction by CPP founder Jose Maria Sison and some accompanying text pieces.

“Louie Jalandoni, Revolutionary” works because of the frequent, seismic changes in Jalandoni’s life, including being raised as part of a wealthy family to becoming a priest, from becoming a committed activist and going underground. While a controversial subject, Jalandoni also makes for an effective subject as Silverio and the artists move him around from year to year, slowing down for seminal sequences and then going to the big picture when necessary.

No matter what your political or idealogical beliefs may be, Jalandoni has lived a most dramatic life and “Louie Jalandoni, Revolutionary” serves as a most accessible gateway into his eventful journey.

“His own life was shaped by the greatness of the cause he represents, and in this way, his life went beyond the ordinary,” Alleco writes.

“Louie Jalandoni, Revolutionary: An Illustrated Biography” is available at Popular Book Store, 305 Tomas Morato cor. Timog Ave., Quezon City; and Ibon Book Store, 114 Timog Ave. cor. 11th Jamboree, Quezon City.