"A Tooth in My Popsicle is a series of essays that originally appeared as a weekly column in the leading newspaper on Mindanao island in the Philippines. When journalist David Haldane lost the job he had held for 23 years and the United States sunk into a deep recession, David, his Filipino wife, and their young son moved from the United States to Ivy's birthplace in the Philippines. They had visited Mindanao several times previously and David felt an immediate attachment to the beautiful island and its people.
The essays tell of their adventures and misadventures during the family's first two years in Mindanao. Haldane’s style is almost conversational and very easy to read. He writes about his family, the local people, the way of life in their new country, and the hurdles outsiders must conquer to assimilate to that lifestyle. The essays vary in content from the author’s unexpected emotional reactions to public holiday activities to the surprise at the native Filipino's relaxed attitude to what Haldane viewed as minor emergencies. They fluctuate in emotion from humor to pathos to reverence to love. Life in Mindanao is unconventional and mystifying to someone who lived nearly 70 years in the somewhat structured society of the United States. Haldane, true to his journalistic background, is a wonderful storyteller. "A Tooth in My Popsicle" is an entertaining and informative book, and because of the essay format, easy to pick up and read for short periods. Thank you to NetGalley and Black Rose Writing for this ARC.