A review by drcopeland
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
5.0
***Review for Non-Spanish speakers*** I really enjoyed this book. It helps that I have lived in the DR for 5 years so some of the phrases and expressions are familiar to me. For those who have never been here, do not know any Dominicans or any other Spanish people this book will not be the same for you. The more exposure you have to a Spanish culture, even one that is not Dominican, the easier it is to get more out of the stories. I have included a useful link at the end that has awesome annotations to the expressions and some customs so you can get more out of it (it is not one I made, it was one I found). The different Spanish cultures are unlike what your white American is used to so this book can seem odd if you have no exposure to or experience in a Spanish culture. It DOES NOT mean you can't really enjoy this book, but I highly recommend that you use the annotations below to help you better understand parts and get more out of the story.
Some people have mentioned they did not like some of the references to and use of various games/books of the Dungeons and Dragons/Lord of the Rings type stuff. This was what the main character was into, he would naturally use references to them. Again, the annotations at the link below give you insight into these if you are like and and have very little idea about what is involved in that genre.
I really enjoyed this book and the different view of the culture and perspective of people who were born here in the DR but moved to the US, they are very Dominican and yet very American. They were escaping a horrible dicatator that did things to people that we cannot even imagine. This make for a very interesting mix and makes for great characters that are the same as us and yet different. Give this book a chance and read it knowing you are going "see" a very time and culture, you are going to get a chance to step into another world and come out with a broader world perspective and a deeper appreciation for all the things we Americans often take for granted.
(http://www.annotated-oscar-wao.com/)
Some people have mentioned they did not like some of the references to and use of various games/books of the Dungeons and Dragons/Lord of the Rings type stuff. This was what the main character was into, he would naturally use references to them. Again, the annotations at the link below give you insight into these if you are like and and have very little idea about what is involved in that genre.
I really enjoyed this book and the different view of the culture and perspective of people who were born here in the DR but moved to the US, they are very Dominican and yet very American. They were escaping a horrible dicatator that did things to people that we cannot even imagine. This make for a very interesting mix and makes for great characters that are the same as us and yet different. Give this book a chance and read it knowing you are going "see" a very time and culture, you are going to get a chance to step into another world and come out with a broader world perspective and a deeper appreciation for all the things we Americans often take for granted.
(http://www.annotated-oscar-wao.com/)