Experience the extreme joys, sorrows, and triumphs of a queer Filipino-American teenager struggling to prove himself in an unforgiving world. A poignant coming-of-age story, perfect for fans of Patron Saints of Nothing and Juliet Takes a Breath.
Self preservation. That’s Bobby’s motto for surviving his notoriously violent high school unscathed. Being out and queer would put an unavoidable target on his back, especially in a Filipino community that frowns on homosexuality. It’s best to keep his head down, get good grades, and stay out of trouble.
But when Bobby is unwillingly outed in a terrible way, he no longer has the luxury of being invisible. A vicious encounter has him scrambling for a new way to survive–by fighting back. Bobby is inspired by champion Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao to take up boxing and challenge his tormentor. Then Pacquiao publicly declares his stance against queer people, and Bobby’s faith–in his hero and in himself–is shaken to the core. A powerful and unflinching debut that will both shatter and uplift hearts with every read.
CONTENT WARNING for profanity, violence, and homophobic language.
Praise for Chasing Pacquiao
“Rod Pulido delivers the ultimate one-two-punch: bare-knuckled, bruising honesty wrapped in humor, sincerity, and sweetness. If you’ve ever been let down by your hero, this knockout of a book is here to treat your wounds and heal your heart.”
—Becky Albertalli, bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapien Agenda
“What should we do when our heroes let us down? The answer: Pick up Rod Pulido’s book. This story has it all. Humor, love, self-acceptance, pain. It packs all the punches.”
—Erin Entrada Kelly, Newbery Medalist and bestselling author of Hello, Universe.
“With Chasing Pacquiao, Pulido steps into the ring with an earnest and compelling debut that pulls no punches as it explores the courage and community needed to stand up to hatred.”
—Randy Ribay, author of the National Book Award finalist, Patron Saints of Nothing
“Chasing Pacquiao is a timely knockout. Rod Pulido marvelously balances humor and honesty while exploring bigotry, socioeconomics, power, and how we become our own heroes. A heavy-hitting, must-read debut.”
—Julian Winters, award-winning author of Right Where I Left You
“You’ve never read anything like this. Rod Pulido deftly infuses a unique journey of queer POC self-discovery with unprecedented cultural specificity — geek culture, boxing culture, Filipino culture.”
—Jose Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author of Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen
Genres Young AdultContemporary LGBT Queer Asian LiteratureSports Romance
Rod Pulido, author, filmmaker, and self-proclaimed “World’s Biggest Ube Fanatic,” grew up in Cerritos, California. He earned his Bachelors of Arts in Film Production from California State University, Long Beach. His directorial debut, The Flip Side, became the first feature by a Filipino filmmaker to world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. Rod strives to uplift and entertain with stories that highlight the Fil-Am experience. He enjoys collecting comic books and working out at the gym—stereotypes be damned! His debut YA novel, CHASING PACQUIAO, comes out May 2, 2023 from Viking Books. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @RodAPulido.com
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.