Oscar Wao

The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao was one of the most profound books I have ever read. The first thing that drew me into this book was the heritage of the author, Dominican-American, which I relate to. Reading deeper into the story line, I found myself relating to so many things that resembled my childhood. Junot Diaz is absolutely brilliant in they way he conveyed our Dominican culture in this book. I enjoyed the way that he included the family stories through different generations; that is something I’m jealous about. I never had the opportunity to really find out the history of my family further then my grandmother. Further more, the character that made a really profound impact, surprisingly, was Lola. Many people will read this book and just see Lola as a girl who was too rebellious. However, I really understood her point of view. Family is very important in Latino culture; this can cause a very severe attachment between mother and child. Sometimes this attachment prevents their kids from growing into themselves and becoming independent. I understood why it was absolutely necessary for Lola to break this attachment with her mom, find herself and learn to accept herself. I am so happy I got the chance to meet Juniot Diaz and listen to him speak he is truly brilliant. I’ve always wanted to write a book, but I never thought the world would be interested in the story of a first generation Dominican-American, but Juniot Diaz proved that you have to break those barriers and let your voice be heard.