Chasing Pacquiao

By: Rod Pulido

Narrated by: Jesse Inocalla

"Rod Pulido delivers the ultimate one-two punch: bare-knuckled, bruising honesty wrapped in humor, sincerity, and sweetness." — Becky Albertalli, bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

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. But when Pacquiao publicly declares his stance against queer people, 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.

Critic reviews

WINNER - Vulgar Geniuses Book Awards, YA category

"Rod Pulido delivers the ultimate 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

"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

"Pulido addresses important themes of homophobia, socio-economic differences, and fallen heroes with a light hand. A solid debut that explores coming-of-age topics with sensitivity."
—Kirkus Reviews

"Pulido thoughtfully explores what it is like for a young person to become disillusioned by a hero . . . How Bobby deals with this reality is the most profound part of his story."
—Booklist

"Who hasn’t been let down by their heroes, or fallen in love, or dealt with people who want to see you fail? The themes in Chasing Pacquiao are universal and this powerful novel will resonate with people of all ages. Be prepared for Bobby to work his way into your heart and stay with you long after you’ve finished reading."
—SamahanFilipino.com

"Debut author Pulido presents a bighearted portrait of one queer teen’s desire to feel safe and seen, boosted by a warm and compassionate cast."
—Publishers Weekly

“An underdog story with a powerful message about putting heroes on a pedestal, this is for all teen collections.” —School Library Journal

A Knockout Debut

I went into this already predisposed to feeling a high level of resentment towards Manny Pacquiao with his very public homophobia so I was shocked to discover for myself how fair and respectful this story was of the man in spite of his unsavory misdeeds. CHASING PACQUIAO succinctly and poignantly asked hard questions Filipinos in the diaspora especially have yet to truly reckon with as a community.

Though Manny's spirit loomed large in the background, it didn't take up the entirety of the space and oxygen of the well-balanced story. This queer coming-of-age tale celebrates love, humor, and friendship amidst trauma, loss, and violence. The fun vernacular and comic book lexicon made it abundantly clear that this was made for unabashed geeks like me.

I'm only left to melancholically wonder how my life would've been different if I read something like this in my late teens, while simultaneously feeling thrilled for young people who get to do so now and find out for themselves.

Whether you're Filipino American, queer, a comic book geek, a boxing stan, young, mature, a coming-of-age connoisseur, or any combination of the above ... this story's for us all.

A solid and delightful narration by Jesse Inocalla of THE DRAGON PRINCE fame. What a joy to hear the voice of Soren tell this important story!

Looking forward to more from Rod Pulido!

Excellent story

It’s so important to have quality stories of diversity. Rod Pulido is someone who clearly understands this and is evident in his work. This kind of literature saves lives!

Queer Fil-Am representation FINALLY

Definitely something a kid in similar shoes needs! Whether it’s being bullied for being queer, Asian or anything else. It’s a story that makes you cheer for the underdog but understand that people are multifaceted and even the bully has more to their story. I stumbled across this book on an instagram ad and so glad I did. Literally binged the whole audiobook in 1 sitting.

Stories like this, with REAL representation MATTER. We NEED more stories like this.

A Stunning Debut Perfectly Performed

"Chasing Pacquiao" was everything I wanted in a book and more. Funny, honest, heartwarming, and Filipino to the core, this book stirred up a lot of feelings. From Bobby's pain at losing his father to the joys of first love to dealing with a bully, "Chasing Pacquiao" recalled so much of my own adolescence and helped heal parts of me that I didn't know were still hurting.

Through Bobby -- who is a poet as well as a budding boxer -- I was introduced to the Filipino poetic form of Tanaga. Inspired, I wrote my first poem in this form inspired by the book:

Pacquiao's views are bigoted;
Love can't be prohibited.
Bobby's got a mean right hook,
Rod wrote a hell of a book.

"Chasing Pacquiao" is the kind of book that will burrow into your soul and stay there after you've read the final page. It truly has something for everyone and you will fall in love with its characters and author Rod Pulido's masterful writing.

Having already read the book on page, I was excited to hear Jesse Inocalla bring the text to life. To hear a FilAm actor read a book authored by a FilAm about FilAm characters is truly special. Inocalla is a talented actor who performed each character with skill and depth and I was blown away by his performance.

Great LGBTQIA+ story told from a Pinoy American perspective.

Great LGBTQIA+ story told from a Pinoy American perspective. The narration was superb! The story engaged me and had me rooting for all the main characters. Nothing super original here but entertaining as heck and I went straight through in one sitting cleaning the house and gardening. Would definitely recommend this one for an easy quick listen.