Paolo manalo as bob ong picture

Book by Bob Ong

ABNKKBSNPLAko?! is a 2001 autobiography by Filipino author Bob Ong — his first and most popular work.^[1] The title is meant to be read phonetically as "Aba, nakakabasa na pala ako?!", which can be roughly translated as "Wow, I can actually read now?!" The novel details what are supposedly the childhood memories of the author, from his earliest days as a student until his first few years at work.

The book was a surprise hit in 2001, quickly selling out its first run of 500 copies.^[2] By 2013, it had sold over 240,000 copies, at which time a 12th anniversary edition was published.^[2] The success of Bob Ong's book among Filipinos has been attributed to its conversational tone which uses humor to point out various absurdities inherent to Filipino culture.^[3] The popularity of ABNKKBSNPLAko?! in particular is attributed to an element of nostalgia says University of the Philippines literary professor,