When the Elephants Dance

"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." -- 13-year-old Alejandro Karangalan, one of the central characters in Tess Uriza Holthe's debut novel.

A #1 San Francisco Chronicle bestseller now available in trade paperback, Tess Uriza Holthe's acclaimed first novel has drawn comparisons with such dynamic literary voices as Arundhati Roy, Manil Suri, and Amy Tan. The story line—based partly on the real-life accounts of the Holthe's own father—chronicles a Filipino family's harrowing experiences during the pivotal final days of World War II, as American and Japanese forces battle for control of the Philippine Islands. While the Karangalan family huddles together in a cellar to wait out the war, the narration shifts among thirteen-year-old Alejandro, his spirited older sister Isabelle, and Domingo, a passionate guerilla commander. The Karangalans struggle to survive and hold on to their hopes for liberation, finding solace in ancient magical tales of Filipino myth and legend.