By author Diane Rodill, tireless researcher
A testament to the vast constellation of stories making up the Filipino diaspora and Filipino American experience.
Local author, Diane Rodill, Ph.D., is launching her debut book, a historical biography of her father, Denis Rodill, Sr., “A Filipino Rascal Through Six Wars 1894-1987” at Mam’s Books, 608 Maynard Ave S, Seattle, on Saturday, October 10, 2026 from 12-2pm.
Rodill’s book recounts her father’s extraordinary life, from his birth in Manila at the threshold of the Philippine American War, to his rascal youth on transpacific ships en route to Hawai‘i, Alaska, and the West Coast, to his East Coast Merchant Marine career spanning World Wars I and II and the Korean War. Through decades-long archival research, spanning continents and oceans, Rodill reconstructed the trailblazing life of her father who, in real life, was mostly mute about his adventures with his family.
Advance praise for the book:
“From Manila’s crowded shores to the icy waters off Normandy, A Filipino Rascal Through Six Wars traces one man’s restless voyage through the storms of the 20th century. At 14, Dionisio Rodill ran away from home and into history—hauling sugar in Hawai‘i, salmon in Alaska, and supplies across oceans at war. In reclaiming her father’s odyssey, Diane Rodill, Ph.D., restores the Filipino heartbeat to the American story—one of grit, grace, and belonging hard-won.”
— Jamie Ford
“The author is to be commended for this thoughtful historical biography of her father, an early Filipino American pioneer whose tortuous journey from his home country to America gives us insight into the range of the immigrant experience: its struggles, hardships, joys and triumphs.” — Ron Chew
“Rare for its account of a Filipino at the cusp of fulfilling his American dream at the dawn of America’s rise as a global power. This non-fiction historical biography is a riveting personal chronicle filled with adventure and history. The odyssey of Dionisio Rodill provides a parallel story to the occupation of America’s former colony, the Philippine Islands, but reverses the direction of the narrative with his journey into some major events shaping America’s emergent political power in the twentieth century. The historical biography provides a looking glass to a bygone epoch told in archived memories and remembered fondly by a daughter who refuses to forget. Recalling the highs and the lows of interracial engagements, the book is a momentous achievement of memory recalling and preserving the past.”
— Nick Deocampo
Diane’s publishing credits include the U.N., Rappler, and the Washington Post. She earned her Ph.D. from Temple University in 1984, and is an Artist Trust Literary Edge alumna. As a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer, Diane served in the Philippines 1985-1987. Her 1988-2005 Federal career included Health & Human Services and Peace Corps/Kenya. She served as Associate Peace Corps Director/Education, including President Bush’s PEPFAR Team in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Diane is an original Philly girl and has resided in Seattle since 2012.