The Philippines is a nation in its adolescence, struggling by fits and starts to emerge from a rich, complicated, and multilayered past. From ancient Malay settlements to Spanish colonization, the American occupation and beyond, A History of the Philippines recasts various Philippine narratives with an eye for the layers of colonial and post-colonial history that have created this diverse and fascinating population.

A History of the Philippines begins with the pre-Westernized Philippines in the 16th century and continues through the 1899 Philippine-American War, the nation's relationship with the United States' controlling presence, culminating with its independence in 1946 and two ongoing insurgencies, one Islamic and one Communist. Now featuring a new afterword on the tragic destruction of Typhoon Haiyan, this illuminating portrait of the modern Filipino lays bare the multicultural, multiracial society of contemporary times.