Patron Saints of Nothing

A NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • A “powerful and courageous” ( Kirkus Reviews ) coming-of-age story about grief, guilt, and the risks a Filipino-American teenager takes to uncover the truth about his cousin’s murder.

“Brilliant, honest, and equal parts heartbreaking and soul-healing.”—Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Shout

“Passionately and fearlessly, Ribay delves into matters of justice, grief, and identity.”— Publishers Weekly , starred review

Jay Reguero plans to spend the last semester of his senior year playing video games before heading to the University of Michigan in the fall. But when he discovers that his cousin Jun was murdered as part of President Duterte’s war on drugs, and no one in the family wants to talk about what happened, Jay travels to the Philippines to find out the real story.

Hoping to uncover more about Jun and the events that led to his death, Jay is forced to reckon with the many sides of his cousin before he can face the whole truth—and the part he played in it.

As gripping as it is lyrical, Patron Saints of Nothing is a riveting portrayal of the struggle to reconcile grief and guilt, faith and family.

A Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of the Century

A Best Book of the Year: NPR , Paste, New York Public Library , Publishers Weekly, USA Today