Drown

A Very Good Collection of Short Stories.

A very good first book by Junot Dias. Most of the short stories in this collection involve Yunior. Yunior is a Dominican living in New Jersey who gets involved in nefarious activities. Street slang and Dominican Spanish is used a lot in the diction of the stories. These words are not always understood but they add a glow to the vocabulary of the stories. Yunior does not sugar coat it. You get a strong sense of realism reading Drown. I used to live in Boston and I could imagine Yunior getting mixed up with people that I knew. Drown is a very good testament of inner city life and of Dominican immigrants. They may have left the island but the island has not left them. I applaud Drown. Do not wait for a rainy day to read Drown.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Drown by: Junot Diaz

Drown was recommended to me by my 9th grade english teacher to read over the summer. I loved this book. It's about a dominican boy and his life from the island of Dominican Republic to the live city of Newark, New Jersey. As a Dominican I related to the book and enjoyed it. I dont like reading and I read this in a week.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

book review

Drown is a collection of ten short stories loosely connected by the theme of adolescent boys to young adults in rough neighborhoods of both the Dominican Republic and Dominican barrios in New Jersey. These characters have the common struggle of facing the poverty in their life that leads to drugs, violence and pitiless crimes. The characters Diaz portrays make no excuses for themselves and don¿t wallow in self pity. The world they live in is all they have ever known, and they all live in the moment. I think the title of the book suggests that the characters¿ childhood purity is being drowned out as they are forced into the cold reality of adulthood. Diaz writes his stories off of life experiences which create a realistic yet raw view into the lives of his characters. He speaks the plain truth and uses Hispanic slang to display the culture of the book. These stories are somewhat crude and intended towards a mature audience. this isn't the genre of book I would normally read, although I enjoyed how Diaz told it like it is and used hispanic culture to give the stories personality. I would recommend this collection to those who like short stories, and who would like some insight on the rough lives of Dominican immagrants.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I remember that goat on the leash.

When reading this book I felt like it was my brother writing about our youth in Los Sures,Brooklyn.I do remember the pictures of us half naked with a goat on a leash.As a matter of fact they are still in my mother's picture album.Junot Diaz captured essence of whatit is to live in the Big City for young Dominican immigrants and their families.The best is yet to come from this young writer.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

From a Dominican point of view

I loved this book. Although it started out slow, it brought back many memories from my home . Dominicam Republic contributed a lot. The stories, slang, names everything was wrapped up into a gift of Dominican culture. This book is by far my top favorite. I was emotionally attactched to the Character Yunior, that was a very unusual thing. Coming from a place where we both came from and having a similar backgrounf / childhood it was astonishing. I loved this book, i suggest you buy it. Short story and all you will grow fond of it, you'll be sad when it will end.

Beautiful and funny

This is simply beautiful writing. Stories about real characters, writing that takes you deep into their crazy lives until you feel as though you knew them. Also quite funny.

I was truly disappointed in this effort, especially after reading Oscar Wao.

Drown by Junot Díaz

Ten short stories, some about the bleak peripheral existence of Dominicans in the States: drug dealing, stealing, miserable living conditions, and screwing anything with a skirt...

Other stories about the author's life in Ocoa, Dominican Republic; and the author's struggles of growing up poor in his homeland.

Perhaps, the best story is "Negocios," about his father's immigration to the US, marrying to get a green card and finally coming back to get his family.

This is the first book of the Pulitzer Price winner author (The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao), and it really shows. The prose is poor, the Spanish words are used and not translated, making the book only readable to a bilingual person. I was truly disappointed in this effort, especially after reading Oscar Wao.

If You like getting lost in your books - this book is for you

I absolutely love this book, all the characters are very interesting and you start to feel like you known them. It's also amazing how the characters from different parts of life connect.

Fantastic Collection of Stories

After reading "Oscar Wao" I just had to see what else was available by this terrific new author...well new to mee anyway. I am not usually a big reader of short stories, prefering rather to read fiction with a cohesive narative all the way through. This collection of stories bounces from character to character and varies also in time and place, but when put together the stories seem connected to a larger perspective on family, friends, acceptance, and struggle. They tell a bigger story in disparate pieces, but a beautiful and connected story none the less. If you are a fan of Denis Johnson's "Jesus's Son" you will find this collection equally rewarding.

fascinating book

This book was simply fascinating and the writing drew you in. This one should be on everyone's bookshelf.

Best book ever

This book is very interesting and outstandingly good. It is the best book i'll ever get

He gets down with this one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A thoroughly enjoyable novel by a novelist who writes in a way dealing with the real deal.

A Must Read!!!!!!!!!!

This is a raw and provactive book, at the same time honest, humble and educational. it's a fiction but your almost convinced it's a true story because it's exactly what goes on in some hispanic families leaving their homeland to come to the U.S. Diaz writes from the heart and leaves nothing out. The man makes you read and read, and i'll promise you the story will stay with you and make you think!!!!!!!!!

This book changed my life!!

The book captivates the reader with every word. The stories come straight from the heart and leave you with a raw, emotional but very grounded impression of life as a Latino. I have read many of the short stories over and over again because I loved them so much. My favorite story was boyfriend/girlfriend because it talks about many issues which couples go through today. His writing style flows very well and he uses wonderful metaphors to express the emotions felt by the characters in the short stories.

A Way with Words

A fantastic read! I went and bought Drown a few years ago and it remains to be my favorite book. The words flow together, as if the characters are speaking to you directly. I was especially enchanted with 'Aurora.' It is a rough story but some parts of it still make me cry. You can feel the emotion, the pain, the grief they both have for eachother. Eventhough the subject is hard, I think most people can relate to the madness that goes with love. I strongly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys reading fiction. And also to anyone who enjoys great prose.

I Was Immersed

Drown Will Not Let You Up For Air. Very Memorable, Lasting, and Emotional Collection Of Pieces.

Staying afloat

There are a number of stories within this collection that really soar, especially the title story. Indeed, 'Drown' is so evocative because the narrator opens doors we are not expecting to open - in this story, it is the issue of homosexuality. Another strength of this story is the author's voice, which seems so innocent, yet worldly at the same time. Some of these stories, are more experimental, and seem like musical riffs, rather than fleshed-out songs. In all, fun to read.

Hard to describe!!!

When I first read this book, I absolutely Hated it! Until I had the pleasure of meeting the man behind it. Mr.Junot Diaz is the most down to earth kat I have ever met.Mr Diaz certainly has no problem with speaking his mind!. He was inspirational and very informative on why he wrote these stories. I only hope that many more get to have the pleasure as I did!! Junot can't wait for your next one!!!

Hard to put down.

Junot Diaz pulls no punches in this book. He vividly and effortlessly describes the lifes of Dominicans in NYC, urban New Jersey & the Dominican Republic.These tales, some semi-autobiographical, are narrated in voices heard not too often during the latter half of the 20th century - that of the young Dominican American. Excellent work from an exceptionally talented new author!

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