{"product_id":"the-singing-detainee-and-the-librarian-with-one-book-essays-on-exile-paperback","title":"The Singing Detainee and the Librarian with One Book: Essays on Exile - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eMichael Beltran\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn late 2019, journalist Michael Beltran found himself in the city of Utrecht, the Netherlands, deep in conversation with Filipino revolutionary leaders Jose Maria Sison and Julie de Lima. What was planned to be a feature article ended up as a collection of observations on what it means to live in exile. Sison and de Lima are maligned by governments and revered by activists worldwide, all while spending most of their time tucked away in a small Dutch neighborhood. What Beltran realized was that it was impossible to speak of their exile without understanding the history and community surrounding it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Singing Detainee and the Librarian with One Book\u003c\/i\u003e shares lesser known tales about two of the most well-known revolutionary exiles and their comrades. It speaks of a community and history behind the ordeal, weaving it into the Filipino diaspora. Sison passed away in December 2022, making this book a record of one of the last and arguably lengthiest interviews he ever gave. The essays track the couple's prolonged stay as refugees, how the Philippine liberation movement found a home in Europe, and how migrants and activists alike gravitated toward each other while adrift from their homeland. \"Exile,\" Beltran says, \"is imprisonment by displacement [...] when people are condemned to leave their lands dressed in invisible chains.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eMichael Beltran\u003c\/b\u003e is an activist and journalist whose articles have appeared in many publications in the Asia-Pacific, including \u003ci\u003eAl Jazeera\u003c\/i\u003e and\u003ci\u003e South China Morning Post\u003c\/i\u003e. Covering human rights, the shrinking democratic space in the Philippines, and forced migration, eviction, and displacement. He also volunteers for \u003ci\u003ePinoy Weekly.\u003c\/i\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 266\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.56 x 8 x 5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e May 15, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52469836218675,"sku":"9781685712709","price":40.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/0rK33F30B89781685712709.webp?v=1759405939","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/en-ca\/products\/the-singing-detainee-and-the-librarian-with-one-book-essays-on-exile-paperback","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}