The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Everyone loves a good comedic tragedy, as long as it’s not their own. Junot Diaz makes certain to capture the readers hearts in this story of a Dominican American ghetto nerd, Oscar, a hopeless romantic who aspires to be the Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien, before his succinct ending.

Created by Stephanie Rodriguez, a student at the School of Visual Arts

But Oscar isn’t just a nerd–he’s so nerdy that even fellow nerds are embarrassed to be friends with a kid like him. Everyone who has ever been labeled ‘weird’ can relate to his story on some level…but Diaz takes it about ten steps further.

Overflowing with a plethora of Dominican-American historical tidbits, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is not only a moving story about an outcast who’s desperate to find love, but also a witty commentary on the lack of important history taught within the American education system.

The multi-generational story of immigrants paints a very vivid picture of what life is like for the marginalized, who also happen to be cursed by the fukú.

With spirituality, history, bicultural identity, general geekdom, and love, Oscar Wao is sure to teach you a little bit about everything, keeping you on your toes and reminding you that someone always has it worse.

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