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Jason Kelley | 2/12/2014
" Good for kids to read. "
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Carrie Taft | 2/7/2014
" I really wanted to get into this book, but there was so much Spanish slang I had to stop every other sentence to search for a translation of what I was reading! "
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Christine | 1/30/2014
" Made me laugh out loud. "
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Carlos | 1/27/2014
" I love this book. I've read it twice so far, once for a class and the second on my own. Both times I just fell under the spell of Diaz's writing. A book everyone should read. "
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Emily Zabrodski | 1/27/2014
" I'm not completely sure how I feel about this book yet, but I'll make some general observations as too my feelings right now (I just finished earlier today). First of all, this was probably one of the most depressing books I've ever read. Entertainment weekly describe it as "...a joy to read...," which I would say is not at all an accurate description. I don't think I felt the slightest inkling of joy while reading it. I'm also not sure what the author, Junot Diaz, was trying to get me to feel at the end, although it felt like he wanted me to feel something. However, I did find myself intrigued by the story enough to want to keep reading. In fact, I probably read through this book faster than I've read through the past 5 novels I've read. I didn't get bored, and it was certainly something different than other novels I've read. I found myself feeling immense sympathy, but also major frustration and anger for Oscar. I essentially felt that way about all the major players in this novel, with the exception of La Inca. I'm not sure if that's what kept me engaged, or what led me to only give it 3 stars.
I think one of my major frustrations with this novel was that Diaz made me feel alienated as a reader. Of course, that's probably something that some critics suggest is part of his genius. After all, the text is in many ways about alienation. The reason I admit to feeling alienated as a reader is because of his excessive use of Spanish. I know some may say that I sound ignorant by saying that, but I'm a reader who definitely appreciates the richness that can be added to a text through the use of other languages, particularly Spanish. I'm a big fan of other writers who have infused their work with Spanish words and phrases, particularly Sandra Cisneros, but I found Diaz's use of Spanish somewhat overwhelming and limiting. There were times when there was such a heavy use of Spanish that I felt I needed a Spanish-English dictionary to understand the text. I feel like I probably missed out on nuances of the story because I didn't have a Spanish dictionary, and I refused to sit with the book in my hand and a computer in front of me in order to translate the text (for me, that ruins the reading experience). Instead of being able to enjoy the beauty of the Spanish, I found it to be a source of frustration. It was so often used beyond my capabilities of inference that many times I simply ignored it. I'm sure that was not Diaz's intention, but I'm also fairly sure I'm not the only one for whom this was true.
All that being said, I can't say I didn't like this book. The fact that I read it quickly indicates to me that there was something about it that I found interesting and engaging. What that is, I don't think I quite know yet. Perhaps with some more reflection, I'll be able to put my finger on it. "
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Shaunaly | 1/22/2014
" Loving Junot Diaz! What a great read :D "
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Kjerstin Gruys | 1/5/2014
" Fantastic writing. Completely hypnotizing characters. Just wasn't my kind of book. "
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Regine | 12/16/2013
" A week after I read this, I couldn't pick up another book. The story stayed with me. Haunting and poignant. Still amazed at how Junot wove a story with Spanish words, geeky themes, Dominican Republic history, love, family (across 3 generations), acceptance, race so seamlessly. "
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David Mandell | 12/11/2013
" Wonderful portrayal of Dominican life in the US and on the island. I love the way the narrator shifts throughout the book. The footnotes are heavy and sometimes intrusive, but really enlightened me about Dominican history. "
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Barbara Caulfield | 9/12/2013
" I thought this would be an interesting read but I couldn't finish it. It's not that I have to like or identify with the character of a story but I have to have some reason to spend my time finding out what happens next and this story just didn't give me one. "
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Diana G | 9/1/2013
" Loved this author and book! The author used a couple of different writing styles and they all worked for me. Narrative, third person, 3 different languages, the author directly addressing the reader. Good look into cultural assimilation. "
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Caleb | 7/12/2013
" Best book I've read in recent memory. Masterful. "
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Suzanna Birchwood | 4/5/2012
" loved the writing style and the way the book was framed "
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Alexandra Skoczylas | 4/1/2012
" Such a great book - partly because I didn't expect to like it after fighting my way through the first 10 or 20 pages. But I loved the characters, found the historical parts fascinating, and it made me cry at the end. "
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Stefanie | 2/5/2012
" Casual but intense tale, jumping decades and locales to tell the story of the de Leons, packed with nerdy references and Dominican history in equal parts, and exploring the tragedies of family, love, and an ache to be independent from it all. "
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Horacio Castillo | 11/21/2010
" The Superman Question: " ". "
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Alyson Grace | 3/5/2009
" An interesting insight into an immigrant family lineage. "
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