What we are

By Peter Nathaniel Malae

Subjects: Young men, Fiction, Samoan Americans, California, fiction, New York Times reviewed, Fiction, general

Description: Follows 28-year-old Samoan-American Paul Tusifale as he strives to find his place in a culture that barely acknowledges his existence. Paul drifts on and off the radar in San Jose, California, fighting to define himself within a system that has no easy or predetermined place for him. At first he tries to live outside society, an unemployed drifter who takes a personal interest in defiantly--even violently--defending those in need. But when life as an urban Robin Hood fails to provide the answers he seeks, Paul takes a chance on the straight-and-narrow.