Junot Diaz geeks out

Many authors attempt what Diaz does so well- the intelligent portrayal of both brutality and tenderness. I became a big Diaz fan when I read his collection of connected short stories, Drown in a Latino Literature class. I was captivated by the grit and wit combinations in his stories. I wanted more.

So, I was excited when The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao came out and even more excited when I heard that it won the pulitzer this spring. The novel is impressive with its flawed narrator, casual code-switching to Spanish, and blending of story, history, fantasy, family, love, pity, lust and finding one's spot in the world. Diaz does not deny hope nor offer any clear redemption. He creates a narrative that invites us to examine our own lives, and lives around us, to see the forces that sweep through our lives and how we react to them.

Out in paperback this fall.