| Randy Ribay | |
| Nationality: | American |
| Alma Mater: | |
| Occupation: | Writer |
| Awards: | Freeman Book Award (2019) |
Randy Ribay is an American writer of middle grade and young adult fiction. Ribay has won the 2019 Freeman Award from the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia and was a finalist for the 2019 National Book Awards for Young People's Literature category for his book Patron Saints of Nothing.[1]
Born in the Philippines and raised in the Midwest, Ribay initially studied aerospace engineering, but later changed his major to English literature and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from the University of Colorado Boulder. His master's degree was in language and literacy from Harvard Graduate School of Education.[2] [3]
Ribay teaches high school English in San Francisco, CA.
He began his writing career by writing poetry but broke into the prose writing scene by participating in Pitch Slam at a Writer's Digest annual conference.[4]
Ribay is the author of the award-winning book Patron Saints of Nothing (2019). Although initially rejected by several editors, the book won the Freeman Award and was shortlisted for the National Book Awards for Young People's Literature in 2019. The book was also nominated for the 2020 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult Novel chosen by the Mystery Writers of America.[5] Patron Saints of Nothing appeared on several Best of 2019 lists including those published by NPR, Kirkus, and the New York Public Library[6] [7] [8]
The book is a coming-of-age story about Jay Reguero, a Filipino-American boy of high school age. Reguero travels to the Philippines to find out the story behind a cousin killed in an ongoing drug war based on the nonfictional drug war established by Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte. Once there, he must reevaluate his heritage and his status as a Filipino-American outsider.[9]
Ribay considered the book to be dedicated to the "hyphenated", referring to his Filipino-American heritage.