Macarthur or the Red Book is a 2007 novel by Filipino author Bob Ong

Bob Ong

Bob Ong, or Roberto Ong, is the pseudonym of a contemporary Filipino author known for using conversational Filipino to create humorous and reflective depictions of Philippine life. His actual name is not known.-Website:...

. It is the sixth published work from Ong. As with all Bob Ong's published novels, it is notable for its use of contemporary street Filipino

Filipino language

This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...

 words. It is also notable for its departure from the usual Bob Ong formula of using humor to comment on the various ironies of Filipino culture. Instead, it offers a gritty, realistic look at life in a Philippine slum

Slum

A slum, as defined by United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, the percentage of urban dwellers living in slums decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the...

 community.

The title is derived from a slang term for difficult-to-flush faeces — a reference to Douglas MacArthur

Douglas MacArthur

General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...

's famous promise, "I shall return". The cover's background, mostly obscured by the bold typeset of the title and by the red color, depicts a toilet bowl.

Characters

• Noel. Their family was once rich until a sudden slow down of business. He first appeared in the place on where Cyrus, Voltron and Jim were talking. It was indicated that Noel was just a typical college student who eventually stopped studying because he lacks the money to afford his college test paper. After a quarrel with her sister, Lyla, he was asked by his own father to leave his house, calling him a "good for nothing". He develops a good friendship with Cyrus' grandfather, Mang Justo, until he is shot (mistook for a monster) by Cyrus. In the end, he returns to his family and, although with doubt, is welcomed by his father, along with the rest of the family.
• Cyrus. The youngest member of their group. Known for his habit of swallowing objects after stealing them. Cyrus lives with his grandfather, Mang Justo, to whom he donated his own kidney. Months after the operation, he accidentally killed his grandfather.
• Voltron. Also known as Denver and Amadeus. His siblings are Stephen, Brooke, Joshua, Kurt,and Gwyneth. Voltron is skinny and has a big chest, small head, big hands and feet and looks like a robot that rains saliva when talking. He gets beheaded by a gangster.
• Jim. 23 years old, oldest in the group, has a big body which can lift a sack of rice and a small brain which is enough to carry a foil that will burn crystal meth. He has a wife and son, and is persuaded to leave Manila for the province because of his family's needs.

Sources

• "McArthur" ni Bob Ong, Inilunsad http://www.rockczar.com/ph/RPC_Content.aspx?CSID=3_50&NID=670

See also

• ABNKKBSNPLAko?!
  ABNKKBSNPLAko?!
  ABNKKBSNPLAko?!is a 2001 novel by Filipino author Bob Ong — his first and most popular work. The title is meant to be read phonetically as "Aba, nakakabasa na pala ako?!", which can be roughly translated as "Wow, I can read now?!" The novel details what are supposedly childhood memories of the...
  
  , another of Bob Ong's novels