Sionil Jose's short story collection, The God Stealer and Other Stories consists of works that are worth reading including the eponymous piece, The God Stealer, which depicts colonialism in an ingenuine story of friendship between a Filipino and an American.

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The Filipino diaspora is well portrayed in Sionil Jose's Viajero. The readers meet Badong, who later becomes Salvador dela Raza, an orphan in search of his identity in the 1940s Philippines. He later discovers his roots as a Filipino.

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Sionil Jose's The Pretenders, the fourth book in the Rosales Saga, is one of the author's most famous works as its themes remain relevant today—corruption, poverty, and the Filipino identity. In the book, the readers are reintroduced to Antonio Samson who pursues a degree in the prestigious Harvard University and marries a well-heeled Filipina instead of his cousin Emy, whom he loves and has a son. 

Completing the Rosales Saga, Mass, is set during the time before Martial Law. The fifth and last book from the series follows Pepe Samson's journey in finding his identity, the underlying message of Mass, as the protagonist struggles to acquire a degree in Manila. 

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