Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 23) — Filipino journalist Patricia Evangelista’s book “Some People Need Killing” is among the New York Times’ 100 Notable Books of 2023.
\”Some People Need Killing\” is a memoir of Evangelista’s on the ground experiences covering for Rappler the bloody drug war of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Evangelista told CNN Philippines’ The Final Word on Oct. 25 that she wrote the book to make sure a record of Duterte’s anti-drug campaign existed for reference of future generations.
\”I want them to remember what happened,\” Evangelista said. \”I want them to see the names and see the faces. Imagine the lives that were lost and imagine the lives that were lived.\”
\”I want people to remember that stories matter and that they can refuse the story,\” she added.
The journalist also shared that while she did not receive threats to her life during her drug war coverage, the vivid scenes of death took a toll on her mental health.
\”We are not cameras. We absorb everything,\” she said. \”You take what you get in the field and you carry it for the rest of your lives.\”
In a post on Wednesday, Evangelista said she was \”incredibly grateful and more than a little stunned\” after knowing that her book got into the New York Times’ list.
“I wrote more than 90,000 words. I can’t quite find any for right now,” she wrote.
