Donnelly Library's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Discussion Highlights

Donnelly Library had its fifth meeting of the Pulitzer Prizes Reading Group on Thursday, December 01, 2016 when we got together to discuss Junot Díaz’s novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.

This was our reading group’s final meeting and discussion focused on several different themes from the novel. Discussion highlights included the below.

• The style of the book. Díaz’s novel is full of 1980s popular culture references. Reading group members who grew up around the 1980s understood most of these references, but reading group members who grew up before or after this time period mostly missed them. This could be Díaz’s way of disorienting many of his readers and making them feel like outsiders to the characters’ lives and cultures.
• The shifting tone of this novel also made for interesting discussion. The story starts out being very funny and then shifts to being a very serious tale. This causes a complex response in the reader as she or he follows the various characters through the different strands of the narrative.
• The title of the novel was another highlight of the discussion. Reading group members could agree that Oscar’s life is certainly brief, but it is up for debate if his life could be called wondrous.
• The reading group scholar brought up the parallels in Oscar’s desire for women and the dictator Trujillo legendary womanizing. This led into a discussion of whether or not the reader is supposed to find the title character Oscar likable or not. Most reading group members did not find him likable, but rather found the narrator the more sympathetic character.

What did you find most interesting about the fifth meeting’s discussion or about the novel? Please post in the comments below.

Questions for Donnelly Library's Discussion of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz

Donnelly Library’s Pulitzer Prize Challenge reading group has its fifth and final meeting on Thursday, December 01. Below are a few questions to think about for the upcoming discussion of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz.

Take a look at the questions and please post your own questions or discussion points for this novel in the comments below. 

• What does Díaz reveal about Dominican history and culture in this novel?

• From the Fantastic Four epigraph at the beginning of the book to allusions to Lord of the Rings, comic books, fantasy, and science fiction references pervade the novel. What is the role of popular culture in the novel?

• The narrator Yunior believes that Oscar and his family are suffering from a family curse, “a high-level fukú” (152). What does Díaz show as the source of the family’s troubles? Are they indeed cursed?

• The title of the book places Oscar as the main character, but the women of his family (La Inca, Beli, Lola) are some of the strongest characters. What is the role of women in this novel?

Gallup Discussion: Golden Mongooses

This week we discussion The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao at Octavia Fellin Library in Gallup, New Mexico.  And before our discussion began there were some important things to clarify about the setting of the story and some of its symbolism.

Unlike other stories we discussed, some of our readers didn't immediately know the background of the Dominican Republic or the characters in the story.  Just reading the story, you learn a lot of more recent Dominican history, but not everyone remembers off the top of their head where the Dominican Republic is or the significance of its location.

The DR is on the island of Hispaniola.  People who know "a little" history might recall that Columbus discovered America in 1492.  The first place he "discovered" was Hispaniola, an island, and on the modern DR side of that island was where the first permanent Spanish settlement in the Americas was built, also making it the location of the first European colony in the Americas.

Notice how I said, "the modern DR side" above.  That's because, unlike most Caribbean nations, the DR has a border with another country.  Reading the story, you might not some passing references to Haitian genocide, derogatory references to Haitians, maybe a mention of looking like "you speak a little French" as a coded insult.  That's right!  The DR borders Haiti, and they have not had a healthy past. 

The DR was a Spanish colony and while they shipped a lot of slaves to the region, it wasn't half as many as were sent to Haiti for French plantations.  Skin color is a big deal in the story, and there's a lot of coded (and not so coded) language related to it.  Dark skin is usually seen as a terrible thing, handsome means white, as noted with Beli's first paramour, Jack Pujols, and when someone suggests you might speak a little French, it suggests you have darker skin, or in other words, you look Haitian.

The Sauron of our story is Rafael Trujillo or El Hefe, and he is portrayed as a pretty terrifying, incredibly evil guy.  I think the book actually gives you plenty to go off of, but I wanted to show a picture of him, because he doesn't look the super villain, child rapist, mass murdering monster that he definitely was... or at least, he doesn't look like I quite expect him to...

he looks...gassier...

Finally, let's talk about the Golden Mongoose in the story.  This is not really based on any bit of history or folklore.  So if your book club is sitting around scratching their heads and saying "What does the mongoose mean?" in deep, philosophical tones, here it is in the words of Junot Diaz, himself:

“My mother got lost when she was young in a coffee plantation (my father used to grow coffee) and she was lost for like three days and everyone thought she died and by the third day they just went and bought fucking—I mean, it shows you the difference, if a child were lost for three days today, we would still have hope, we would still be looking, but in the DR they were like ‘Three days? ’That kid’s fucking dead man’—they went out and bought funeral clothes, they were going to bury this little outfit and then my mother shows up. And my mother tells this story and she was like I had gotten lost and was just desperate and this mongoose came up and was like ‘you lost?’ ‘Well, I’m tired right now but I’ll come back tomorrow and lead you out.’ So he did and my mother arrived home the next day.” - Junot Diaz 

These are just a few things to keep in mind if you ever have a discussion or book club on this fantastic work.  A little background can help a lot when discussing a book, especially one as closely tied to a time and place as this one.

Discussion Wrap-Up - The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - South Broadway Library

The discussion group met on September 17, 2016, to discuss The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.  The language, specifically the Spanglish, found throughout the book was a hot topic.  Most members believed that it added authenticity to the story and that it was Diaz’s way of portraying the Dominican Republic’s culture in an honest and forthright way. Some members felt that the sheer volume of foreign words and phrases was a little overwhelming and slowed down the reading pace.  One person remarked that they needed a glossary to get through the book.  Another major facet of the book was the idea of fuku, the curse mentioned early in the book.  There were several ideas about what the fuku was and whether or not Oscar’s family would get through it.  The level of suffering and tragedy that the family endures is legion. Each generation had its own trials and each one was literally a matter of life and death.  Each generation loses family members and it seems the next generation is achieved only because one family member survives through harrowing circumstances to procreate.  The group also discussed the way the book handled masculinity in the Dominican culture and Oscar’s struggles to live up to the expectations.  Ultimately, the big question in the book is whether or not Oscar dies a virgin or not.  While the book tells us that he does not, the evidence is self-reported by Oscar and thus, leaves room open for doubt.  The group was split on this issue. Our next book is The Stories of John Cheever by John Cheever and we will meet October 22nd at 2:00 pm at the Public Library Albuquerque and Bernalillo County | South Broadway branch.

Now Reading in Gallup

Discussion of Junot Diaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao will be held on Thursday evening, September 22, at the Octavia Fellin Public Library.

"The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz - Final Book Discussion at Branigan Library

Our final book discussion was on August 18.  So sorry to see it come to an end!

The theme of this book is "a hopeful quest, sad love story, a nerd hoping to have a sexual relationship, moving toward his doom". The language used in the book is somewhat different - possibly the language that the author grew up with and language of the culture.  A person may not know the exact meaning of some of the words or phrases used in the book, but gets the jest of what is being said/written.  Junot Diaz puts an insight into the novel.  He delves into the politics of their country/culture and ours.  These things need to be known/studied. 

Several participants in the book discussion commented on how they thought the footnotes were very helpful in understanding certain phrases, sections of the book and the history relating to the culture. 

The novel begins with the narrator's description of the curse, called fake americanus—a curse which was brought over to the islands of Antilles when the Europeans came. Oscar seemed to be the person that was the "victim" of his family's fukú.  Oscar is very polished, speaks in elvish - literary compliment.  He is both heroic and foolish.  He felt that this is what he had to do - his mission.

Oscar struggled with the family dynamics – the personalities of each family member, cultural background, values, and personal or family experiences.

From the start we know that Oscar is going to die - an interesting/clever way to start the book.  What is it that make his life "wondrous"?  The author is in complete control. 

 

Diaz's Language in Oscar Wao

The first thing you'll notice reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is the language. If you Google the title you'll find article after article discussing the code-switching, the use of "Spanglish," no explanation of the Spanish words, and whether Diaz did this just to frustrate readers or he did it to make a point. There is a lot to discuss in "Wondrous," but I can't imagine having a discussion on this book and not talking about the language.

Why did Diaz choose not to include English translations to his Spanish words and phrases? What effect does the seamless blending of Spanish and English create? Why does Diaz choose not to italicize Spanish words the way foreign words are usually italicized in English-language text? These are just a few things to think about as you embark on The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. I've also included a recording of a 2008 NPR interview with Junot Diaz discussing his Pulitzer Prize winning novel. It's a great jumping off place for getting into the book!

Women and Power in Oscar Wao

In the Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz discusses at great length the forms of power expressed through his masculine characters from the dictator Trujillo and his petty, corrupt officials to the gallivanting Yunior. What does power look like for the women, who are every bit as much protagonists?

"Beli, who'd been waiting for something exactly like her body her whole life, was sent over the moon by what she now knew. By the undeniable concreteness of her desirability which was, in its own way, Power. [...]. Hypatía Belicia Cabral finally had power and a true sense of self. Started pinching her shoulders back, wearing the tightest clothes she had. Dios mío, La Inca said every time the girl headed out."

Junot Diaz Fan Art

What's your favorite Junot Diaz or Oscar Wao quotation? Tell us in the comments!

Readers' images via Tumblr

Video: Junot Diaz Discusses Oscar Wao

Is there anything that plagues the human animal more than love? Junot Diaz tackles that question and more in this interview about The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.

The Annotated Oscar Wao

The characters in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao blend science fiction, fantasy, graphic novel and popular culture references with Dominican idioms. If you find yourself struggling with the references to Galadriel or Stan Lee or "totos" then keep this link handy:

annotated-oscar-wao.com