The Not That Brief, Not That Wondrous Book of Junot Díaz

[spectralbovine]

I waited for a month or so to get my hands on The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz. It's the latest Pulitzer Prize winner, and everyone's reading it. There were forty holds on it at the library when I gave it a click. I was very excited.

I loved all the geeky references, from Akira to The Stand, from Doctor Who to Dungeons and

Comments

[spectralbovine]

Hee. Win-win!

[homegoddess]

My daughter is freshman at Kalamazoo College. The school sent The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao home to each student over the summer. During orientation week, Junot Díaz came to the campus and read from the book and I think he led a discussion. She didn't say much about the book or the discussion. Now I'm curious. I'll ask her about it over Thanksgiving break.

[spectralbovine]

I've heard Junot himself is a pretty cool, nice guy, which is another reason I wanted to like the book.

That's so weird that they sent this book to everyone to read. Kalamazoo College? Are they a really tiny liberal arts school or something?

[homegoddess]

Now that I think about it, it must just be the freshman who were sent the book. So that would be about 365 students. Yes, it's a small liberal arts school. She's taking biology, Japanese, and a freshman writing seminar, where they watched Pan's Labyrinth. Most juniors spend the year abroad and she has her heart set on going to Japan. She really likes it so far. It's a good fit. Plus, she got a nice scholarship.

[harriettheelf]

my mom and I never like the Pulitzer winners, anyway. Thanks for the head's up - I read the short story version of this when the New Yorker published it, and I wanted to like it but ... didn't. Now I know I don't need to read the longer version!

Is Faulkner really your man? We may need to reconsider our friendship.

[spectralbovine]

I love me some Faulkner, dude. I've only read The Sound and the Fury and Absalom, Absalom! but I thought they ruled. Impossible to understand without help but brain-frying in a very cool way.

I was going through Pulitzer winners the other day, and I think I like more than I don't like, if you go back and look at the whole list. I don't have as good a track record with more recent winners, though.

[electricmonk]

You haven't read As I Lay Dying? YOU MUST. And I must reread The Sound and the Fury, because I found it prohibitively weird the first time, but AILD took me a few tries to like, too. And then I fell madly in love with it.

As for Pulitzers, I read the 2005 winner (Gilead by Marilynne Robinson) and found it unspeakably boring. Middlesex totally deserved it, though.

[spectralbovine]

I want to read As I Lay Dying! That's the one where there's a chapter where the woman thinks she's a fish or something?

I needed the Cliffs Notes for The Sound and the Fury in high school. I'd be interested in rereading it now without help and see if I could follow it all on my own for the most part.

I've heard great things about Middlesex. It's in my mental queueueueueue.

[glasseseater]

Hmm, this sounds like a book I should read on the plane to el salvador, what with my seminar class on central american diaspora, identity, ect. If nothing else this entry made me very curious about the book. then again, maybe I should read the things it references first, otherwise I probably will be annoyed.
I also don't know whether I should read Watchmen. Everyone raves about it so much but I don't think it's something I would like. Although I don't know why I would think I wouldn't like something with the word deconstruct in the description.
I think subconsciously you can't help but associate the book with the chinese dude on the subway, and since you can't consciously admit your deep attraction to creepy dudes on the subway it's manifesting itself in dislike of the book. I got a little carried away with that theory.

[spectralbovine]

Hmm, this sounds like a book I should read on the plane to el salvador, what with my seminar class on central american diaspora, identity, ect. If nothing else this entry made me very curious about the book.
It does sound like appropriate plane reading for such a journey and seminar class!

Everyone raves about it so much but I don't think it's something I would like. Although I don't know why I would think I wouldn't like something with the word deconstruct in the description.
So it looks like the answer is: read it.

I think subconsciously you can't help but associate the book with the chinese dude on the subway, and since you can't consciously admit your deep attraction to creepy dudes on the subway it's manifesting itself in dislike of the book. I got a little carried away with that theory.
I love you.

[punzerel]

Hmmm. It sounds like I would have approximately the same reactions to this book, because several of the things you listed up there are definitely things that annoy me too.

I really have to get my hands on Midnight's Children. I tried Satanic Verses, and I don't know why, but I just could not. It just seemed so.. gimmicky somehow. I don't know. I'm cool with an author using a particular gimmick for one book, but if he uses them in ALL of them, then it just kind of starts to feel lazy.

[punzerel]

Also, I need a plane book, so I think I will mine your recommendation posts for ideas. You are useful!

[spectralbovine]

Yay!! Let me know what you decide on reading and whether you like it.

[spectralbovine]

I think I've heard that about The Satanic Verses. I've only read Midnight's Children. But sometimes I like gimmicks! And sometimes I don't. I'm fickle like that.