The book is divided into four parts and has seventeen chapters as well as a preface and conclusion. Similarly, to Tosh’s text, the chapters have subtitles to break up the page and to signal a new topic or event. In doing so Brands is making the chapter more organized and making the book more efficient to navigate through. The titles of chapters are also worthy of note as some are quite amusing. One example would be chapter three’s title “Dewey…or Don’t We? 1898-1899”. I find this one particularly droll as it is playing on George Dewey’s name and is used to introduce the predicament the American’s face regarding whether or not they should interfere with Spain’s authority over the Philippines (20). Brands book may also seem long when in reality …show more content…
Particularly while reading the section III Utang Na Loob?, I found myself feeling emotional over the conditions the Filipinos and Americans stationed on Bataan at had to endure. They were weak, hungry, and loosing hope (196). Furthermore, Brands displays an understanding for feelings Filipinos’ possessed at the time, “As always, it was easiest to blame America for the Philippines’ problems. But Quezon’s bitterness was not without foundation. It grew increasingly obvious that Washington had judged the islands expendable” (181). Likewise, Brands effectively looks at the “thoughts and intentions of individuals in the past” and draws on their reasons for doing certain acts (151 Tosh). In the case of Roosevelt sending reinforcements, Brands indicates that although it seemed unfair that Roosevelt did not actively aid the Philippines immediately, there were other issue holding him back. As Brands explains, “Yet for all his good wishes toward the Philippines, Roosevelt could not ignore the other demands crowing upon him” (193). Although he may have wanted to help the Philippines, them were other matters that seemed more pressing, such as collaborating with the British to fight in Europe. All of this is important when writing a historiographical