Lorina Mapa

Duran Duran, Imelda Marcos, and Me

  • Nominated as an ALA Best Graphic Novel for Teens
  • Nominated for the 2018 Joe Schuster Award for Best Author
  • Reviews can be found here.


    This ebook is an update on the 2017 publication. For quite some time now I had been wanting to rework certain panels and text in the section on religion. The older I get the more I realize how little I know, no longer feeling the need to express strong opinions on subjects of which I have no experience, such as other cultures and religions. At the time I thought my observations would be regarded as tongue-in-cheek, but some panels and phrasing were perhaps insensitive given the global events of recent years. I don’t want my views from over a decade ago to add any fuel to the fires of religious intolerance, however unintentional. Nothing I can do unfortunately about the printed books that are out there.

    “Touching and joyous, with vivid recollections of food, matriarchy, family, and politics told in an Hergé-inspired style that’s deceptively simple but apt for its subject.” (Publisher’s Weekly)

    “…like an alternative Asian version of an 80s teen film with added political turmoil.” (Hamilton Review of Books)

    “With wide-eyed clarity and teenaged innocence, Mapa shows readers the rise and fall of a totalitarian state from her unique perspective: the awkward schoolyard conflicts, the upheaval of normalcy during days of general strikes, and the palpable tension of a family caught in the middle of a military coup. It’s both a vivid revisitation of the recent past and a harrowing omen of days that many young people the world over may soon face for themselves.” (Montreal Review of Books)

    “This energetic, enjoyable, easy-to-read tale vibrates with youthful passion as Mapa tells the story of growing up in the Philippines of the 1980s.” (London Free Press)

    It is my personal account of returning to Manila for my father’s funeral and the memories his sudden death trigger for me. Interspersing the present with the past, I tell stories of my childhood and explore themes of religion, culture and politics. Here are some sample pages for your reading enjoyment.

"Original Princess" page 6“Duran Duran, Imelda Marcos and Me” page 6

"Original Princess" page 9
“Duran Duran, Imelda Marcos and Me” page 9

"Original Princess" page 12
“Duran Duran, Imelda Marcos and Me” page 12

"Original Princess" page 50
“Duran Duran, Imelda Marcos and Me” page 50

"Original Princess" page 54
“Duran Duran, Imelda Marcos and Me” page 54

"Original Princess" page 70
“Duran Duran, Imelda Marcos and Me” page 70