Justin’s Comments (group member since Sep 14, 2019)

Justin’s comments from the YHS Class of 2022 group.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


From the opening chapter of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, I was instantly impressed with Junot Diaz' prose. His narrator, Yunior (one that Diaz frequently uses), has some of the most engaging, lively (albeit, at times, crude) narrative voices that kept me engaged from page 1 until the end.

TBWLoOW follows the legacy left behind by a befallen Dominican doctor's family during the brutal dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo and the family's ensuing diaspora to New Jersey. Diaz focuses on the family's "fuku," the curse that Trujillo's reign left on the family (and all of the DR) and how it impacts Oscar, a nerdy (see: awesome) teenager; Lola, his sister; and their mother Hypatia, whose relationship with one of Trujillo's henchmen forces her out of the country.

This book focuses on topics of identity, violence, history of the DR (which, at times, made me feel like I didn't know ANYTHING–although Diaz welcomes the reader into it), family relationships, nerdiness, sexuality, and legacy. It's all woven together into an anachronistic, Spanglish narrative with multiple narrators (although Yunior is the dominant voice), necessary footnotes, and some lines written so beautifully that you'll want to find the person physically closest to you to have them read it, too.

I would recommend this book to people who are looking for a contemporary voice to guide them into a semi-magical realism book about the pursuit of love and the fuku of loss.



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John wrote: "

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I don't even know what to say about this book, except that it is an astounding achievement, even for one of the most hyped write..."

It's definitely a masterpiece. The passivity of Billy Pilgrim, the allusion to PTSD, and the Tralfalmadorians make this a read open to a lot of interpretations. Is there anything left to say, except "Poo-tee-weet"?

Drown by Junot Díaz

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Junot Diaz is an accessible writer whose voice is distinct. Several years ago I read Diaz' _This is how You Lose Her_ short story collection and felt like I needed to experience more of his writing because I was thoroughly engaged in his narrative voice but mostly unconcerned with the life of his protagonist, Yunior, as he experiences one lost relationship after another.

_Drown_ did not disappoint. Consistent with topics from _TIHYLH_, Diaz touches on the complexities of identity, from sexuality, to immigration, to the violence of father/brotherhood, what what it feels like to not completely be Dominican or American, while also being Dominican American, and others. Essentially, most of this collection begs the question, What is an immigrant and what does it mean to have an immigrant story?

If you love short stories and don't necessarily want to be bogged down in something super complex but you still want to flirt with an author with a truly distinct style, _Drown_ is a quick in/out read that will keep you asking questions about the human experience. For me, a lot of the stories were a reminder that my own experiences happen in a silo and that what it means to be American is a heterogenous and often socially violent experience.



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Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Range by David Epstein is a fascinating read. Epstein curates his book with exceptional research to demonstrate over and over again how wide-ranging experience, not specialized training, leads to success in any field and even more success than people who have specialized in a narrow field.

I was drawn to this text because of two podcasts that interviewed Epstein, particularly as the book relates to athletes that specialize. He begins the book by comparing the great tennis player Roger Federer to perhaps the greatest golfer of all time, Tiger Woods. While both of them represent the best of their field, Tiger Woods has become the quintessential model for how specializing early can lead to success, a model that a lot of parents are following for their own children in the hopes to create leaders in a field. However, Epstein proves that Tiger is indeed the exception to the rule, and that early specialization is typically an indicator of creating thinking that is homogeneous, narrow, and in some cases (such as the Challenger space shuttle's crashing) incredibly dangerous.

In reality, having a wide range of experience leads to more long-term success in sports, music, business, art, science, military, etc., and specialization is crippling, unless you're Tiger Woods.

I gave this book 3/5 stars because of it's repetitive structure, which actually makes sense to use given how much he covers. Epstein essentially uses anecdotes to frame research in each chapter, which I found dull. However, as a teacher and a father the book pragmatically is reshaping the way I think about my own classroom and experiences I want my son to have. I wouldn't call this book a must-read. However, I'd also say that once you read it you cannot look away. In that sense the book is sharp and powerful.



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Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is fiction as I've never experienced it. George Saunders' _Lincoln in the Bardo_ is simultaneously experimenting with structure, playing with absurdities, and asking some of the most fundamental human questions about letting go, mortality, what happens after death, and the space between physical and spiritual existence.

Having read two collections of his short stories, Saunders was already one of my favorite authors. His fiction, in general, is unique, but LitB seems to operate inside of zero fictional confines I've ever encountered and is pushing the boundaries of what fiction can be. Outside of some fantastical images in the bardo, I wonder what this would look like as a play.

Because the structure of this book is unique, it offers unique challenges. I found myself rereading a section that made me want to reread a different section. It was, at times, slightly irritating, especially if I had a limited window of reading time. However, the payoff for connecting dots was more than worth it. I know that I will be rereading this in the not-too-distant future and would love to bring this book into the classroom.



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