Jenny Reviews: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

The Vitals

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
Release Date: 6 September 2007
Page Count: 335
Genre: Contemporary; Historical Fiction
Target Audience: Adult
Series: No
Source and Format: Purchased; Paperback

Summary (From Goodreads)

Things have never been easy for Oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight ghetto nerd, a New Jersey romantic who dreams of becoming the Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. But he may never get what he wants, thanks to the fukú — the ancient curse that has haunted Oscar's family for generations, dooming them to prison, torture, tragic accidents, and, above all, ill-starred love. Oscar, still dreaming of his first kiss, is only its most recent victim - until the fateful summer that he decides to be its last.

With dazzling energy and insight, Junot Díaz immerses us in the uproarious lives of our hero Oscar, his runaway sister Lola, and their ferocious beauty-queen mother Belicia, and in the epic journey from Santo Domingo to Washington Heights to New Jersey's Bergenline and back again. Rendered with uncommon warmth and humor, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao presents an astonishing vision of the contemporary American experience and the endless human capacity to persevere - and to risk it all - in the name of love.

Notes on The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
This book is my favorite of the semester. As the title suggests, it is a story about a boy named Oscar. That is just the surface story, though. It is a book about Oscar's family and his one friend, and the many seemingly ordinary events that make up their lives. There are two narrators, and neither is Oscar, which means we learn about his life from others. The book is filled with Spanish words, but don't let that put you off. It adds to the authenticity of the book. You feel the Dominican-ness of the characters. 

This novel is one that sticks with you. My students had to write a response telling me why Oscar's life was considered wondrous; it is a good idea to keep that question in mind when you are reading it. He is the epitome of nerd in a culture that is known for machismo. It seems that there is nothing wondrous about his life, that perhaps tragic would be a better adjective. The beauty of his life is his refusal to give up on love and his refusal to change who he is in order to fit in. 

It is not a happy-go-lucky book; life is hard, especially life under a dictator. There are a ton of bad words, lots of talking about sex (though no sex scenes), and several beatings. It is a messy novel because life is messy. My students loved it. I dare you to read it and not fall a little in love with Oscar yourself. 

Overall Diagnosis

Get a Second Opinion

• Amanda at Late Nights with Good Books - "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is literary fiction at its finest...Highly recommended for those who aren't afraid of crude language, who want a thought-provoking, lasting read that offers a glimpse into another culture and its history."

Stacking the Shelves {March 2014}

I promise that is not a typo in the title. I am really that late with getting my March book haul up. And since there are no excuses here, we'll just get right to it!

First, I need to show you two books I bought for my shelves in February that I forgot to include in my February post. I got both of these from 2nd & Charles for only $5. That's right, five measly bucks for two hardcovers! Tell me why there isn't a 2nd & Charles closer to Atlanta again?! (By the way, I just finished The Peach Keeper, and it has made me a Sarah Addison Allen fan for life. I ADORED it. Review coming soon!).

Bought for Shelves in February:
The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen and Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler.

Audiobooks from Library:
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman and The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd.

Borrowed from Library:
The Fall of Arthur by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Crafter's Guide to Taking Great Photos by Heidi Adnum, and 150 Ways to Dress Your Windows by Country Living.

Borrowed from Library:
Landscaping Solutions for Small Spaces by Anne-Marie Powell, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays by Ree Drummond, The Complete Photo Guide to Window Treatments by Linda Neubauer.

Added for Free to Nook:
The Widow of Larkspur Inn by Lawana Blackwell

What books have you added to your shelves recently? Obviously last month I went a little crazy at the library. It's hard not to get grabby when the books are "free!" :)

Linking up with Tynga's Reviews.

CMLT 2500: A Student's Perspective

Lesley Anne and I were talking the other day about how it would be cool if y'all could hear some reviews about the books I am teaching this semester from a student's perspective, not just mine. With this in mind, I asked both of my classes if anyone would be interested in writing a review of any of the books. After they learned they would not receive extra credit the enthusiasm died a little bit. But, lucky for you and me, someone stepped up to the plate. This student is one of my most astute when it comes to literature (and other things- she is a double major, English and Biology), and she is also a wonderful creative writer. I have to admit I was glad she was the one who decided to do this; I didn't want to trust the blog to just anyone. I enjoyed reading her thoughts and I think y'all will, too. So far we have read 5 novels in the class and she chose to give us her thoughts on 3. I have a feeling someone of you will like her reviews better than mine because she is much better at being succinct.

"Hello, I'm a student in Mrs. Medlin's CMLT 2500 class. I've really enjoyed all the assigned novels, and I would love to give my opinion on a few of the novels that, for me, have left an impression:

Maxine Hong Kingston's Woman Warrior: While I feel as if my class did not enjoy it or found it a confusing read, I think Woman Warrior shocked me in the best way possible. After I finished the first chapter called No Name Woman, I turned to my Chinese roommate and demanded to know if rights for Chinese women were as harsh as depicted, and she basically agreed. As an Asian woman and the child of emigrant parents, I found this book unbelievably relatable, especially Maxine's difficult relationship with her mother.

Although the novel is told in five very different chapters, I enjoyed how each story stood by itself, but had trouble connecting the five chapters.

Alexie Sherman's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian: I have read other works by Alexie Sherman and have been impressed by him. It is difficult to tell the story of a protagonist living in very unfortunate circumstances because the focus is on the journey of the character and not the wretchedness of his circumstances. I've always enjoyed novels where I can root for the main character, and this certainly was the case. I also enjoyed how this novel had simple vocabulary; I admire novels where my immigrant mother, little sisters, and I can understand and communicate the same ideas.

Junot Diaz's The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao: I adore this book. I remember how at first my class had already begun reading, but I did not have the book. So while waiting to borrow it from my friend, I began reading an online pdf file of the novel. That night, I finished half of the book. As of now, this is my third time racing the novel, and I wonder how have I made time to read the novel multiple times. I love reading about the women of the story. Belicia and Lola, as flawed and unfortunate in love as they are, are so strong- you can probably tell I admire strong women. But Oscar, he steals the scene. Who knew that pitiable, dorky Oscar would transform into a legend worth telling? His struggle with depression and self-worth mirrors the worst of times in us, but his transformation into the most true upholder of the ideals of love, the grandest you can imagine, has been a pleasure to read."




I told y'all she was a good writer. Hope you enjoyed hearing her thoughts on these works. We would love to hear your thoughts, too, if you have read these books. If not, you should go check them out. Pronto.

Jenny Reviews: The Woman Warrior

The Vitals

The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston
Release Date: 23 April 1989
Page Count: 224
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir
Target Audience: Hard to say. It is on a lot of school reading lists, but I would say Adult.
Series: No

Summary (From Goodreads)
Sensitive account of growing up female and Chinese-American in a California laundry.

Notes on The Woman Warrior
This is the fourth book we have read in my CMLT 2500 class and it was definitely not everyone's favorite. To be honest, I agree with my students. This book is a memoir but with fantastical, magic realism-esqe components. It is broken down into 5 sections and is disjointed. The story does not flow the way one would expect; each of the 5 sections is its own story. The blurb from Goodreads tells you nothing about the book. (I wonder if it is because it is really difficult to describe what this book is about?) The book is about Kingston working out her Chinese-American identity and trying to figure out her mother and her talk-stories. It is well-written and is a great exploration of growing up multicultural, but it is not something I would read for fun. I gave it 3 stars because it is well-written and, I think, achieves its goal of exploring Chinese-American cultural identity. It is not, however, something I would recommend. Unless you are looking specifically for a story of growing up multicultural and are willing to take the time to work out the intricacies of the story line.

Overall Diagnosis

Memorable Quotes
“You're too young to decide to live forever.”

“I learned to make my mind large, as the universe is large, so that there is room for paradoxes.”

Top Ten "Gateway" Books/Authors In Our Reading Journey

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is Top Ten "Gateway" Books/Authors In Our Reading Journey. This could mean books that got us into reading in the first place, or books that got us into a particular genre or author. Jenny and I decided to split this one 50/50 again since we had a harder time coming up with our list. I think we both leaned more toward childhood faves, since we developed our love for reading and our favorite genres at such a young age (like most of us, I'm sure!). We'll start things off with Jenny's Top 5:

Jenny's Top Five "Gateway" Books/Authors in Her Reading Journey

1. The Chronicles of Narnia - I know I am not alone in this one. Narnia gave me the hope that there are other, unknown worlds out there and they are worth exploring. Not only did it inspire a love for the fantasy genre, but it also inspired my love of travel and belief in magic.

2. Nancy Drew - I grew up reading my mom's Nancy Drew books, the hardback ones with the yellow on the back. You know what I'm talking about. I love reading books that force you to think and put together clues from hints the author gives you. I can always be tempted by mysteries.

3. Marie de France - This lady wrote in the 12th century, so I expect that many of you have not had the luck to run across her before now. She wrote lais, which are short narrative poems. She was my entry into the Medieval world, which I have now made my career choice.

4. Orthodoxy - This book by G.K. Chesterton was one of the first books about Christianity I read that made sense in the real world. His irreverence towards everything was so refreshing and appealing. His view of what it means to be a Christian really resounded with me and led me to Lewis, Merton, and many others.

5. The Giver - Like I mentioned in the Throwback Thursday post here, this was my first dystopian book (and still one of the best, in my opinion). Dystopian books are really good at helping you to see things you take for granted- such is the nature of the genre- and I have never looked at sunburn the same way.

Lesley Anne's Top Five "Gateway" Books/Authors In Her Reading Journey

1. The American Girl books - I am totally showing my age by telling you this, but for some reason, I will always remember the first time I looked at an American Girl catalog. It was a tri-fold brochure, and the only dolls you could order were Samantha, Kirsten, Molly, and (maybe) Felicity. Obviously things have changed a lot since then, but one thing I know remains the same is that all the dolls still come with an accompanying book series -- which is what I loved about American Girl when I was little. I'm pretty sure those books are solely responsible for my obsession with historical fiction today.

2. Magic Attic books - Continuing right along in my girly-ness, I was equally as obsessed with the Magic Attic girls and their bookish adventures! The Magic Attic books were so much fun and definitely laid the foundation for my current love of fantasy and time travel fiction.

3. The Phantom Tollbooth - Oh The Phantom Tollbooth. How I loved it so much! I would consider this one to definitely be a gateway book to fantasy, but it can also be a great intro to books that make you think. I am way overdue for a re-read of this one, especially since I can appreciate the play on words and metaphors all the more now as an adult.

4. The Christy Miller series - Christy and Todd -- probably my favorite fictional couple of all time! I would say this series was my gateway to contemporary young adult fiction, and hey--I actually read it as a preteen/young adult! When I was feeling alllll the feels. Especially over Todd and his "screaming silver blue eyes." If you've read the books, you know what I'm talking about! Basically Robin Jones Gunn needs to write more books. Like yesterday.

5. Left Behind: The Kids - Oh yes, I totally got swept up in the Left Behind books, and these short stories definitely fostered my current love for post-apocalyptic fiction. I have to be honest with y'all, though. I did not finish this series. I stopped halfway through, at about Book 20. I KNOW. Even though they average only 150 pages each, 40 books in one series is just a little much. Which means these books also served as a gateway to me hating series that go on and on and never seem to end (I'm looking at you, Shadowhunter Chronicles!).

 So tell us, what books do you consider to be "gateway" books in your reading life?