Design

Publisher: Southern Voices Printing Press
Editor: Judy M. Taguiwalo
Book dimensions: 6 x 9 in
Year: 2015

A book on the journey of Recca Noelle Monte, from middle-class ingenue to revolutionary. Part biography, part scrapbook, part tribute, it is a compilation of articles, personal correspondences, statements, and photographs, shedding light not only on Recca's life, but the lives of countless others who affected  and were affected by her.

The scrapbook feel and the interaction of texts and images was key to bringing to life, if only in book form, the fallen red fighter. Images of family life, e.g. medals, IDs, prom pictures, vacation snaps, baby pictures, etc, are placed alongside texts of increasing political commitment and resolve, painting a complex portrait of a person who was in many ways just like everyone else, but nonetheless extraordinary in her journey. The cover is a graphic integration of Recca's portrait into the mata mata diamond twill weave of Kalinga textile, a metaphor for how deeply integrated Recca was in the Kalinga communities she chose to serve. Elsewhere are motifs of ferns, mountains, and centipedes, symbols of her environment and of unity, inspired by traditional Kalinga tattoos. On the inside cover, a burst of yellow―Recca's favorite color.

Buy via Popular Bookstore
“Meeting Recca,” review by Prof. Louise Jashil Sonido―watch on video or read the full text
On Facebook: Justice for Recca Noelle Monte, Justice for Lacub