Dirty Dancing

To a people who are blind to the lessons of the past, Ambeth R. Ocampo is the one-eyed king. Sure, he has his critics, but all the time, he is entertaining, fresh and bracing, not stodgy or stultifying like some academics with their voluminous footnotes and explanations. He always makes historical figures come alive, blemishes and all, and with his curious eye, makes our heroes very human and not the mythic figures that we want to make of them. Ambeth makes history enjoyable reading while at the same time makes it anchor us to the past and therefore, and hopefully, prepares us for the future.

-- F. Sionil Jose, National Artist for Literature