Monday, October 01, 2007

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

by Junot Diaz

Who is Oscar Wao, and why would anyone write a book about him? Well, he is an overweight ghetto nerd who loves science fiction and fantasy. And he is of Dominican descent, which is what the story is really about: the terror of life in the Dominican Republic under the ruthless dictator, Trujillo.

Anyway, this starts out as Oscar’s story, but becomes something bigger: the story of Oscar’s family. And it is told by Oscar’s family and friends.

At the beginning, I just wanted to read about Oscar, but as I kept reading, I became involved in the story of his grandparents and his mother. Nothing could be more terrifying and tragic as the story of his relatives and their experience in the DR.

I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll stop here. Just pick this up and read it. It’s worth your time.

9/30/07

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