Native Son Dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt and jeans, Brian Ascalon Roley arrives at the Filipinas Magazine conference room with a friendly, relaxed demeanor. His boyish, freckled face breaks into an easy grin, a surprisingly humble gesture given his recent impact on the literary world. The 34-year-old author released his debut novel American Son last May to critical acclaim in print and on the web. Helen Zia, the author of Asian American Dreams, called Roley "the searingly honest voice of an authentic American son," while Salon.com Assistant Editor Suzy Hansen gushed that he details t...
