Oscar is a sweet but disastrously overweight ghetto nerd who—from the New Jersey home he shares with his old world mother and rebellious sister—dreams of becoming the Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien and, most of all, finding love. But Oscar may never get what he wants. Blame the fukú—a curse that has haunted Oscar’s family for generations, following them on their epic journey from Santo Domingo to the … the USA. Encapsulating Dominican-American history, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao opens our eyes to an astonishing vision of the contemporary American experience and explores the endless human capacity to persevere—and risk it all—in the name of love. Listen to Junot Díaz’s interview on iTunes “Meet the Author” here. Download iTunes here.
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A few years ago I read The Feast of the Goat before going to visit a sister who was living in the Dominican Republic. I thought it was an amazing book — an amazing profile of that country, its people, and a nasty period in its history.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is another great book about the DR, but it’s also a great book about …
Just thinking ’bout this beautiful book and how it lost to The Hunger Games in the first round of Book Madness this year. The biggest tragedy of the modern age. (Except for, like, a lot of other stuff.)
“If you didn’t grow up like I did then you don’t know, and if you don’t know it’s probably better you don’t judge.” -The Brief Wondrous Life of …
I’m glad I finally picked this book up. I loved it! A multigenerational, somewhat bilingual saga focusing mainly on a fat, geeky, black Dominican who struggles with rejection, bullying, and suicidal thoughts? Count me in. Add the magical realism element of a family curse (Fukœ), vivid historical details about the brutal Trujillo dictatorship, …
This is a magical look into the life and beliefs if family. The book opens with a look at curses, both personal and universal. Diaz weaves a multi-generational blanket of a beautiful family dealing with their personal histories and the history of their country. A stunning read that andll can relate to on many levels.
What a great story and wonderful characters. Highly recommend.
Junot Diaz writes in a voice uniquely his about a world many of us have never had the opportunity to know from the inside. As a New Yorker, I was aware of the Dominican community but had no idea of the its daily reality beyond the stereotypes so readily available. This book took me into the sadness and longing for what had been lost, but also the …
This book takes you back and forth between New York and the Dominican Republic. It immerses you in history and culture. There are parts that are raw and tense, but it also examines humanity with compassion. Maybe not for everyone, very intense but, one of my all time favorite books! Led me to read other books that address Dominican history and …
Beautifully written. Moving.
I love this book, the narrators voice is hilarious and I really like how he added so much of the Dominican culture into it.
This is a difficult book to read as it is so sad. I have a little trouble with the manner of telling the story, but it is a hugely popular book, and I may be too old fashioned to appreciate that.
One of the best novels of the past 50 years.
Hard to read and understand
An introduction to a unique character
It was not easy to read but I finished it hoping it would get better. It was a difficult read. It won a Pulitzer Prize so I thought I would give it a try but it was not for me. I gave my copy to someone who might enjoy it but lost contact with her so don’t know if she liked it.
This book got rave reviews. I was disappointed. The writing is polished, but the story is dark and uninspiring.
This was recommended to me, and I couldn’t put it down as soon as I purchased it. The characters are riveting, and just the storytelling captures the reader without question. If you’re looking for something that is highly entertaining, please read this book!
Shocking, intriguing and wonderfully written.
I couldn’t finish this. I tried a couple of times to read it, even tried it on “Audible”. Just couldn’t do it.
Hated this book. Couldn’t finish. So if many readers love it, though, that someday I will give it another try.
Wonderful and lyrical, tragic and thought-provoking 2007 Pulitzer Prize winner. Uses multiple points of view to poignantly examine the experience of three young adults straddling between their origins in a Dominican Repulic decimated by war and their transition to a lower class area of New Jersey. The characters are lovingly rendered and fully …