It’s the ‘80s in Manila: a time of protest rallies and coup attempts, and Guadalupe “Guada” de Leon, 15, is trying to make sense of it all. When Guada’s father suddenly disappears, her mother, Siony, tries her best to raise Guada alone and make ends meet, working as a public school teacher and cooking cafeteria food on the side. Their life changes when the Spanish-bred Don Paquito Almagro hires Siony as the cook: suddenly they’re living in the Almagro mansion and Guada is enrolled at the Annunciation Covenant Catholic School, all expenses paid.

Told in Jessica Zafra’s signature wit and deadpan humor, with social commentary and bits of 80s cultural references skillfully woven into the narrative, The Age of Umbrage is a funny and moving tale about navigating the highs and lows of adolescence—all with the help of books, movies, music, and cats.

On our next sessions of The Book Club (June 12 and 19), we are reading The Age of Umbrage with Sam Oh, our leader reader for June! Grab your copy from the Ateneo Press’ Shopee page (www.shopee.ph/ateneopress) and get a 20% discount from May 26 to 29 and June 7 to 12. Copies are also available at www.ateneo.edu/ateneopress.

The Book Club slots are limited so make sure to register now at bit.ly/TAUzafra