Jessica Hagedorn, author of The Blossoming of Bongbong, is a well-regarded Filipino writer, playwright, poet, and multimedia performance artist. She gives life to a rather confused and superficial character named Bongbong in this book, which was published during 1975. Bongbong endures a series of events, such as immigrating from the Philippines to California, in order to better pursue his dreams of being a movie star and living a high-end life.
Although his dreams are big, his real life seems quite minuscule in comparison as he lacks the training and skills to become a success. Not to mention, he has to put up with the ordinariness of life and its nuisances, while adapting to a new environment. Hagedorn has carefully constructed this character in such a relatable way that it's easy to identify him in ourselves and those around us.
She relates to this character as an immigrant herself, moving from the Philippines to the U.S. in her early teens. She has authored several novels, such as Toxicology and Dogeaters. Furthermore, she is a winner of the American Book Award and finalist for the National Book Award.
