recently read: the farm

07: and the three worst books I read in 2022

Jan 09, 2023

∙ Paid

Knowing what book someone is reading and what parts they resonate with most can be so intimate. It reveals their interests, where their head is at, and what excerpts are so significant that they will mark up a page because they think it’s worth revisiting at a later time. Personally, I’m fascinated by what books others gravitate towards and I find that it helps me get to know them better and gives me a small glimpse into who they are at their core. No one asked for these book reviews, but maybe it’s my way of showing who I am and what I’m interested in – beyond the clothes, the products, and my career. Or at the very least, encourage some to look up from their phones and instead towards the pages of a good book.

Book no. 24 of 2022 (I know, I know… I’m a bit behind)

The Farm by Joanne Ramos

Page turning. I couldn’t put it down and finished in just a few days. It doesn’t have great reviews, but I honestly thought it was such a clever work of fiction about class and race disparity, well meaning rich people and hypocrisy, the lengths mothers will go for those they love, and the reality about the American dream and its inaccessibility for so many. The book centers around Filipino characters, one being a surrogate living at a luxury retreat dedicated to creating the perfect babies for billionaires and the ultra wealthy. The story explores the different choices people make for money — some for survival and some for excess — and the heartbreaking cycle of poverty. I highly recommend. As a Filipino, I found the characters to be extremely familiar — their endless hustle, attempts to assimilate, and familial sacrifice and guilt. It really hit home for me. Even though it was fiction, it felt very realistic.

Favorite quotes:

“Because in America, you only have to know how to make money. Money buys everything else.”

“But freedom requires money… And the weird part is too much money is the exact opposite. It’s a cage in and of itself… Because you end up just wanting more and more.”

“She said the worst thing you can do to a child is raise it with too much softness, because the world is hard. But Jane is not sure. There are people who move through the world like they own it, and the world seems to bend to their demands.”

Additional reading:

In my last Recently Read, I shared my top ten favorite books of 2022. Here are my three least favorite:

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to no one asked by jordan santos to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.