EMONG'S JOURNALS

Can you spot Ferdinand Marcos among the caricatures of people in this book spread? A Facebook post from the Pictoric media page showed a spread from the book, "Así es la dictadura (This is the Dictatorship)". The spread reveals a caricature of the former president along with other notorious figures like Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein. The book, says the FB page, was featured in the Bologna Children's Book Fair in Italy sometime April this year. Meantime, a quick search from Google revealed that "Así es la dictadura (This is the Dictatorship)" is from Spain and is "one of four books originally published in the 1970s and republished by Media Vaca in 2015 with new illustrations. This brilliant series won the 2016 Bologna Ragazzi Non-Fiction Award." The book "focused on dictators of a specific ideology (which) included both right-wing and left-wing dictators." "Así es la dictadura (This is the Dictatorship)" is written b...

Calling on all certified book enthusiasts! The country's most anticipated book event - the Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) - will happen on September 16-20, 2015 at the SMX Convention Center at the SM Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City. MIBF is the country's biggest and longest-running book fair, showcasing the largest and most varied collection of literature for leisure and academic reading - from fiction bestsellers, to textbooks, to graphic novels, and even educational materials. The event will also highlight this year’s most awaited book launches and signings, dialogues with readers, contests, and other literary events. Already on its 36th year, the MIBF has become a gathering of sorts for bookworms of all ages and walks of life to celebrate the joys of reading and the knowledge each book brings about. It has also been providing a venue for the exchange of ideas among players in the publishing and academic industry. For more details, visit...

Bob Ong's "ABNKKBSNPLAko?!” movie, based on one of the most popular Filipino books to ever hit the shelves, will be opening on February 19. The film touches on the rigors and hardships of school life. There's actually nothing new and special about the concept, except for the fact that it was done by a Bob Ong -- that anonymous, witty writer who, until now, remains unidentified ( you guessed it right, the name is just a pseudonym). PLOT: It starts when Roberto Ong (Bob Ong), not wanting to attend his elementary school homecoming because of his fear of not living up to others’ expectations of him. He then recalls his days back in elementary, high school and early adult, his adventures with his friends and his secret affection towards his “special someone." It's a fun movie really worth spending time with. Why not? It's not just a story of Bob Ong's life, it's the story of all of us! Produced by Viva Films, it stars Jericho Rosales (as Bob ...

Brad Pitt returns to the big screen in the upcoming post-apocalyptic horror film, "World War Z," as United Nations worker Gerry Lane who searches the globe for information that can stop the zombie outbreak that is bringing down nations. He scours the world collecting the stories and experiences of those who have survived the conflict that almost eradicated humanity. The film, with an estimate cost of $125 million, began filming in July 2011 and shot their scenes in Malta, Glasgow and Budapest. Also in the cast are Mireille Enos as Karin, Lane's wife and mother of their two children; James Badge Dale as Captain Speke, an American soldier who "tries to warn the government that the threat of zombies is real;" Lucy Aharish as a young Palestinian woman; Julia Levy-Boeken; Matthew Fox; Elyes Gabel as Fassbach; Bryan Cranston; and David Morse as a prisoner living in an abandoned jail with Abigail Hargrove as Rachel Lane. Directed b...