Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
4 reviews
reachingforstardust's review
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Infidelity, Stalking, Sexual assault, Cancer, Torture, Rape, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Police brutality, and Murder
Minor: Abortion and Forced institutionalization
niamhbereading's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
show stopping. brilliant. phenomenal. 10/10. a touching story about intergenerational trauma that left me hopeful.
the narrator of this book really made it for me. surprisingly, it is not oscar. instead, it's a character who we do not meet until about halfway through the book, and even then, he holds little stake in the plot. yunior (the narrator) has such a unique voice as he tells the story of oscar's family, & that made the tales of the trujillo-era dominican republic all the more interesting to me, a white american reader. oscar- the protagonist of this book- is actually never a narrator, even though the book is named after him. i think that adds such an interesting perspective to the story: everyone is talking about oscar, so the book takes you on a ride to finding out who he is through other people's lives. (note: one of the chapters is in the pov of oscar's sister, and there's no real distinction between who is narrating. you just gotta pay attention to how the story is being told to get it.)
this book travels through three generations of the de leon family: oscar and his sister lola, his mother beli, & beli's parents. though oscar & lola's stories are based in new jersey, beli & her parents are all living in the dominican republic under dictator trujillo. junot diaz does a wonderful job immersing the reader into each generation. in particular, some chapters have footnotes that give historical context, which i found really helpful. the dominican history bleeds through the pages.
ok spoiler time: diaz knows his stuff about intergenerational trauma. each generation experiences it uniquely as it passes down in different ways. this book is a great examination of how government violence, ie a dictatorship, can extend generations, even decades after the violence has ended.
this book has MAGICAL REALISM YAYYYY!!! the de leon family is cursed w/ a fuku that travels throughout the story. it's not too prominent, but when it's brought up, diaz knows how to bring it up. he has struck a good balance between a grounded-in-reality story & supernatural elements. also oscar is a sci-fi nerd so i like how both the character & his universe has an affinity for the unrealistic.
spoiler time again: the aftermath after that is treated so beautifully that it made me hopeful for the story. of course, the book ends like ten or so pages later, but the tiny epilogue about yunior & the de leon family made me tear up a bit. i love family dynamics, even when they're fucked up <3
great read!!! this was the second time i've read it but the first was when i was like fourteen, & this book only gets better w/ age. i would recommend this book to dominicans & latines who want to learn more about their history, nerdy outcast kids who grew into nerdy outcast adults, & those w/ an affinity towards tragedies. wonderful book <3
the narrator of this book really made it for me. surprisingly, it is not oscar. instead, it's a character who we do not meet until about halfway through the book, and even then, he holds little stake in the plot. yunior (the narrator) has such a unique voice as he tells the story of oscar's family, & that made the tales of the trujillo-era dominican republic all the more interesting to me, a white american reader. oscar- the protagonist of this book- is actually never a narrator, even though the book is named after him. i think that adds such an interesting perspective to the story: everyone is talking about oscar, so the book takes you on a ride to finding out who he is through other people's lives. (note: one of the chapters is in the pov of oscar's sister, and there's no real distinction between who is narrating. you just gotta pay attention to how the story is being told to get it.)
this book travels through three generations of the de leon family: oscar and his sister lola, his mother beli, & beli's parents. though oscar & lola's stories are based in new jersey, beli & her parents are all living in the dominican republic under dictator trujillo. junot diaz does a wonderful job immersing the reader into each generation. in particular, some chapters have footnotes that give historical context, which i found really helpful. the dominican history bleeds through the pages.
ok spoiler time:
Spoiler
the de leon family is cursed w/ a fuku bc abelard, oscar's grandfather, defied trujillo. through the three generations, the de leon family is faced with extreme trauma. lots of death.this book has MAGICAL REALISM YAYYYY!!! the de leon family is cursed w/ a fuku that travels throughout the story. it's not too prominent, but when it's brought up, diaz knows how to bring it up. he has struck a good balance between a grounded-in-reality story & supernatural elements. also oscar is a sci-fi nerd so i like how both the character & his universe has an affinity for the unrealistic.
spoiler time again:
Spoiler
oscar dies in the very end :(great read!!! this was the second time i've read it but the first was when i was like fourteen, & this book only gets better w/ age. i would recommend this book to dominicans & latines who want to learn more about their history, nerdy outcast kids who grew into nerdy outcast adults, & those w/ an affinity towards tragedies. wonderful book <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, and Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Forced institutionalization
Spoiler
in one point, it is implied that oscar almost killed himself on purpose. later on, he tries to kill himself by walking onto train tracks.lucinotlucy's review
dark
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Suicide attempt, Violence, Police brutality, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Medical content, Cancer, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Rape, Stalking, Terminal illness, Excrement, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Torture, and Abortion
jessgreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Rating: ⭐⭐✨⬜⬜⬜
Title: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Author: Junot Diaz
Genre: Fiction
Setting: New Jersey, USA & The Dominican Republic
Month Read: March 2022
Book Type: Paperback
Publication: 2008
Publisher: Riverhead Trade
Pages: 340
*PBS Great American Read Book
TRIGGER WARNING-
Murder / Forced Abortion / Abuse / Graphic Violence / Sex / Alcohol / Suicide Attempt / Language / Racism / Classism / (there are more, these are the big ones I remember)
"...and when he thought about the way she laughed, as though she owned the air around her, his heart thundered inside his chest, a lonely rada."
No Spoiler Summary:
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is about Oscar, a Dominican-American nerd who lives in New Jersey. He's overweight, loves J.R.R. Tolkein, is bad with the ladies, and watches tons of anime and manga. He wants to find love more than anything else, but because he believes his family is cursed, he is unlucky. You follow Oscar's family through a few generations as you follow the curse through their familial line as you travel from Santo Domingo to Jersey.
Review:
I'm not sure what I was expecting in this book, but whatever it was was not what I thought it would be. I think the writing was really beautiful in spaces, and the story, while sort of confusing to me, was really interesting. I didn't love this book, but I think, like with Harlem Shuffle this book was certainly not written for me in mind. I did google a LOT of Spanish during this book, so that was cool. I did love how Junot Diaz didn't simplify the Spanish very often, you almost never got an explanation as to what the Spanish meant, and I really enjoyed that because it forced me to do the work to figure it out.
I think I would have liked this book if I didn't recently read The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois, as well. The books were pretty similar in theme (a generational family epic following many, many generations of people), and personally I think Love Songs did it a lot better? Or maybe it was just more engaging. I definitely recommend giving this a shot and seeing if you like it. Let me know if you've read this and what you think! I'm open to discussing this!
"She was the kind of girlfriend God gives you young, so you'll know loss the rest of your life."
See more reviews at:
https://jessgreads.wixsite.com
See more reviews at:
https://jessgreads.wixsite.com
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Abortion, Genocide, Blood, Child death, Cursing, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and War
Moderate: Bullying, Body shaming, Excrement, Confinement, Drug use, Abandonment, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Gore, and Gun violence
More...