Cecilia's Diary 1962-1969

Cecilia's Diary documents a Filipino teenager's coming of age in the 1960s in the Philippines.

Filipino writer Cecilia Manguerra Brainard discovered the healing power of journal writing when she was very young. Her sister had given her a lock-and-key pink diary, and in that journal and many others, Cecilia recorded her thoughts and feelings as well as memorable events. She did not know it, but her diary was her way of practicing her writing. These excerpts from her diary cover the time she was in school until the time she graduated and was about to leave for the US for graduate work.

Sunstar editor Erma Cuizon writes: "Cecilia's Diary inspires a comparison of the different generations of Filipinas. Regardless of time, the book is a vivid account of growing up, to which all young Filipinas can identify with. It can also serve as a valuable reference to high school students who are keen on starting their own journals."

Dr. Herminia Menez (Folklorist) praises the book saying, "That life can be lived richly and generously is a message in Cecilia's Diary that teens everywhere need to hear, as they also need to realize from this book how keeping a diary can add a dynamic dimension to the ordinary events of daily life."

The author Felice Prudente Sta. Maria comments : "How far should one go? Teens of the New Age want to know about sex and marriage, school and career, peer pressure and popularity, psychological abuse and child-parent conflicts. So did Brainard's generation in the Philippines. Cecilia's Diary tells it all. Nothing like reading how another soul cries out to itself when one's own soul is seeking his way."

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is the author and editor of over 20 books, including the novels: When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, Magdalena, and The Newspaper Widow.