Out of Cebu collects 28 essays by award-winning Cebuano author, Cecilia Manguerra Brainard. Many of the essays are about Cebu, Philippines: its history, her experiences growing up in the port city, and colorful accounts about her mother's political relatives the Cuenco family. There are also travel and food essays, all told from Brainard's unique point of view of a Cebu-born writer now living in the United States.

Professor of Education Edmundo Litton says, "Cecilia Manguerra Brainard's essays are invaluable to students as they reflect on their own life journey. These essays celebrate a pride in a heritage. Brainard is clearly proud of her Cebuana heritage and this pride shows in this magnificent collection of essays. No doubt, educators and students alike will be enthralled by the details and pictures created in these essays."

Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is the author and editor of over 22 books, including the novels, WHEN THE RAINBOW GODDESS WEPT, MAGDALENA, and THE NEWSPAPER WIDOW. She has received a California Arts Council Fellowship, a Brody Arts Fund, and an Outstanding Individual Award from her birth city of Cebu, Philippines, among others. Her literary endeavors is considered a significant contribution to Filipino, Philippine American, as well as Asian American literature.