Books like Bata, Bata... Pa'no Ka Ginawa?

This book is my 158th read book for this year but just the second time that I am giving a 1-star rating. As much as possible, I don't give this rating because there are always somethings to like in a book. Just imagine the hours the writer put in writing the book and prior to its release, he or she must have said a lot of prayers asking God to make readers buy and read it.But I also have to be honest to myself, right? I think Bautista should still be thankful that I bought and read her book. Anyway, this is my second by her. Last year, I read and liked her 2nd novel, Dekada '70 (3 stars), so this month, August, being the Month of our National Language, I picked up this book hoping that this was as good as Dekada. After all, Dekada won the Palanca (our equivalent of Pulitzer) in 1983 and this book, Bata, Bata won the following year, 1984. So, I said to myself: wow, two years in a row, this book must be really, really good.But I got disappointed. Reasons:1. Too feminine. I always believe that books, like human beings, have gender. This book is written by a woman only for women. It is too alienating for us men. Lualhati seems to have this itch to rally all women by her campaign slogan It's not a man's world! What you (men) can do, we can do, too! Oh well, who says that this is still a man's world. Hello? Wake up, little Suzie. It's the 21st century and you can already exercise your right of suffrage, both father and mother are now working and they fight when they don't agree, many woman have children without marrying, society no longer look down on them and yes women can do almost all the jobs that we men do and nobody gets surprised anymore. In short, this book is outdated. It's passe.Take note that I did not say feminist. I have no problem with feminist books or anything that defends equal rights for women. I said too-feminine and that made the book extremely alienating.2. Rehash of Dekada. So many similarities between her 2nd book to this 3rd book. Not only about her outdated slogan but also about the missing child, the protagonist desire to work and her right to think of herself. It was as if I was still listening to Amanda Bartolome (the protagonist in Dekada) instead of Lea Bustamante (the protagonist here in Bata, Bata. Same banana, only the name has changed.3. Lea is a sex-maniac. Oh, dear Lord. Stay away from Lea Bustamante. She is married. Since she doesn't want to stop working when her husband gets assigned to another place, she calls it quits even if they already have a son. When her husband leaves, she gets herself another man and now they also have a child, a daughter. Then when both of her men have their own new wives, she asks her co-worker to have sex with her and it is for her sexual urge to be satisfied.I mean, oh dear Lord. In my 48 years of existence on earth, I have not met any woman like Lea Bustamante. She is just out of her mind. Sleeping around like a whore and having children in the process. At the very least, hello, have you not heard of safe sex, Miss Bustamante?I understand if my GR Filipino friends who are ladies or those who want to be ladies like this book very much but oh please, not for me.