It was the Friday before Memorial Day weekend, and Annabelle Tometich woke up to a surprising Google Alert on her phone.
The Washington Post had just mentioned her new book, “The Mango Tree.” To Tometich’s delight, her memoir was listed as one of the newspaper’s ’28 books to read this summer’ ― along with new books by big-name authors such as Percival Everett, Sunjeev Sahota and Kristin Hannah.
“It was very surreal,” the Fort Myers writer says. “There’s just some incredible writers. To think that anybody would consider me in that same vein of authors is incredible.
“Yeah, it was a wonderful surprise to wake up to the Friday before Memorial Day.”
It’s actually the second time “The Mango Tree” has been listed as a worthy book in the Washington Post. The memoir was also named one the newspaper’s “10 noteworthy books for April.”
‘The Mango Tree’: Tometich’s chaotic childhood in Florida
Released in April, “The Mango Tree” follows Tometich’s chaotic childhood and her love/hate relationship with her fiery, whip-smart, complicated Filipina mother. It’s the debut book from the former food writer and critic for The News-Press and Naples Daily News.
The memoir has been racking up positive reviews and mentions in The New York Times, The Washington Post. Southern Living and other publications. It’s also been getting praise at Tometich’s recent book-tour stops in Florida, Georgia and California.
Everywhere she goes, Tometich says, people seem to love “The Mango Tree.” And now, thanks to the Washington Post, that love is likely to continue growing.
“It’s been incredibly cool,” she says.
What the Washington Post says about ‘The Mango Tree’
“The Mango Tree” ― subtitled “A Memoir of Fruit, Florida, and Felony” ― revolves around her mother’s 2015 arrest for shooting a BB gun at a couple she claimed was stealing her mangoes. But it also examines Tometich’s life growing up in a volatile, sometimes violent Fort Myers household; the racism she encountered as a mixed-race Filipino-American in Southwest Florida (including from her own grandmother); her mom’s beloved mango tree; and her journey to eventually accept her mother ― warts and all.
Here’s how the Washington Post describes the memoir: “Tometich knew there would be headlines when her mother, Josefina, was arrested for using a pellet gun to shoot out the car window of a mango thief. But she was still surprised by how harshly people judged her Filipina immigrant mother.
“In seeking to understand the complexity of Josefina’s life, Tometich reveals the difficulties that many immigrants and multiracial families face.”
The Washington Post article doesn’t rank the books on its summer reading list. They appear in alphabetical order.
Learn more about Tometich and “The Mango Tree” at annabelletometich.com.
Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. To reach him, call 239-335-0368 (for tickets to shows, call the venue) or email him at crunnells@gannett.com. Follow or message him on social media: Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), X (formerly Twitter) (@charlesrunnells), Threads (@crunnells1) and Instagram (@crunnells1).
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Washington Post’s summer reading list includes Fort Myers writer
