Elaine Castillo Books in Order

An armless patient struggles with his caregiver, a young man pursues his destiny, and a thousand scarred people remain indoors. These stories explore human discovery through unsettling encounters and the unexpected people their characters might become.

Haunted by the upheavals of the Philippines, Hero De Vera joins relatives in California to begin again. Caring for her young cousin draws her into a new community and a possible romance, while family secrets and past violence remain close.

Expert content moderator Girlie Delmundo takes a promotion policing virtual worlds that recreate lost civilizations. As she develops feelings for the company’s guarded co-founder, troubling discoveries about its technology threaten the emotional distance that has helped her survive.

Elaine Castillo examines the politics and ethics of reading through essays on literature, film, and culture. Connecting criticism with her own reading life, she challenges assumptions about whose experiences count as universal and asks readers to engage more deeply with history and power.