Tess Uriza Holthe

At its core When the Elephants Dance celebrates the audacity of the human spirit in the most horrific, dehumanizing situations. It shows a people who refused to let go of their hope and love even while they were being tortured, raped, murdered. Their stories demonstrated a self-awareness I rarely read in folklore or magical realism: they so willingly admitted to their flaws and mistakes, all for the sake of the listener - the next generation - who they hoped would take those stories to heart show more and make a better choice, have a happier life.

In the author's introduction she mentioned how, growing up, she longed to find a book that told her story, that featured her people, but she never could. I'm grateful she's writing the books she always wanted to read.

Without When the Elephants Dance I might never have known about the Filipino experience during World War II. Such a haunting yet hopeful story, and a debut no less! Highly recommended to history buffs, especially the Asian experience during World War II.

5 stars

Disclaimer: As one might expect in a book set during a war, it's brutal. Graphic scenes of torture, rape and murder, involving both adults and children. However, the author breaks up that reality of war with the characters telling each other stories from their past steeped in folklore, which gives the reader a chance to catch their breath in between what's happening to the characters in the present. show less

"When the elephants dance, the chickens must be careful." The elephants here are the Japanese and American forces, vying for control of the Philippines in the waning days of World War II. The chickens are the Filipino people, caught in the crossfire of complete devastation. A family hides in their cellar, surrounded by their neighbors. Food supplies are low and morale is even lower as their loved ones go missing. But this is not merely a novel about the desperation of war. As they hunker in show more the cellar together, they tell stories - brilliant stories of the magic within the jungle, ghosts without rest, Spanish oppression, and the importance of hope.

This novel is magic. The historical elements and dark fairy tales blend together well . The suspense is intense throughout as you wonder if the family - the children in particular - will survive the brutal treatment of the Japanese and the bombings by the Americans. My knowledge of the Philippines during the war consists of Bataan, the death march, MacArthur's vow and his eventual return. The Filipino people themselves are lost and forgotten. I found this book educational and enlightening, and will keep it in my library. Holthe created a masterpiece. show less

The opening of the novel references and explains the title:

Papa explains the war like this: ‘When the elephants dance, the chickens must be careful.’ The great beasts, as they circle one another, shaking the trees and trumpeting loudly, are the Amerikanos and the Japanese as they fight. And our Philippine Islands? We are the small chickens."

So yes, this is a story of the Philippines during World War II. And at first, I didn't think I'd like this novel much. Just before I'd read What is show more the What about genocide in the Sudan and then First They Killed My Father about genocide in Cambodia. I admit I found it a bit off-putting when I saw that like both of them, this was being told in first person present. God, I thought, not another story of misery wrapped in literary gauze! I've grown a bit wary (and weary) of the present tense in fiction. At first that was a technique that seemed fresh and often read lyrically--but I've seen it used so many times it now tends to strike me more as gimmicky and pretentious. But I was thoroughly won over by the end. Holthe said about the only thing she could find in the library about the Philippines were travel guides. She wanted to fill that gap and tell not only the stories she got first hand from her family about the Japanese Occupation, but interweave stories like those she was told as a child, tales of "ghosts and witches, always told with delicious darkness and magic." And though the mainline of the narrative is far from a mere frame a la Arabian Nights, interspersed throughout are several tales told by characters of ghosts and witches and dark spells and curses. Yes, there are also stories of atrocities here--graphic depictions of rape and torture and the brutal necessities of war.

But the novel always kept sight of love and family and hope. Holthe weaves in a beautiful portrait of the Philippines and its people: Filipinos, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Americans, both rich and poor, old and young, especially in those short story interludes. She gives you a sense of the landscape, the cuisine, even a flavor of the different languages. And I felt surprisingly at home--my mother's family is Puerto Rican and the Philippines Holthe described reminded me a lot of Puerto Rico. Both are tropical islands and have had centuries of Spanish and decades of American colonization influencing their culture. Holthe also enriches her tale with a lot of Filipino history. I never knew the very name of the country came from King Philip of Spain. Or that there was a war of independence fought against Americans in the early 20th century. So I felt I learned a lot and I was entertained. All good. show less

First sentence: Papa explains the war like this: “When the elephants dance, the chickens must be careful.”. I first picked up this book because of the title and this opening line. The elephants in this tale are the Japanese and Americans fighting over the Philippines. The Filipinos are the chickens.

The novel takes place during WWII, towards the end of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines. The Filipinos had suffered greatly during those three years of occupation. They were starving, show more and subject to being picked up by the Japanese, seemingly at random, only to be tortured or killed. The book focuses on an extended family living in the basement of an apparently abandoned house. They venture out, one or two at a time, only to forage for food or medicine. To comfort themselves and each other they tell stories – sometimes traditional Filipino folk tales, and sometimes stories from their own past. These are intended to help each other understand and endure their situation, or to teach a lesson they will need to survive.

It’s an interesting idea and it could have been a really good book, but Holthe just wasn’t quite up to the task. The basic plot of the family’s enduring/surviving the occupation is a riveting one, and Holthe really shines in those sections of the book. However, it seems she was trying too hard to impress, or that she was determined to include every possible Filipino tradition and folk tale in an effort to educate the reader about her parents’ homeland. When she interrupts the plot line to tell another story, she loses momentum, and the attention of the reader. show less