Diaz is a master of code switching and truly steeps the reader in Latinx language and culture. “This Is How You Lose Her” by Junot Diaz: This short story collection centers around Yunior as he moves through his life, living in places like Santo Domingo, NYC, and Boston, navigating his romantic relationships, and attempting to break habits and unlearn opinions about women that have circulated around him since birth.I loved that a scene in this one was set in a creepy diner that I have definitely eaten at myself. “The Parking Lot Attendant” by Nafkote Tamirat: Set in the heart of Boston, this novel tells the story of a lonely Ethiopian-American girl and her tight knit community, as she befriends a fellow Ethiopian parking lot attendant and slowly becomes entangled in his mysterious business.

So with that, I’ve compiled a quick list of “Novels (and Short Stories) for New Englanders,” for those who might find this premise appealing too. In particular, my favorites allow me to learn and see the world from BIPOC and/or immigrant eyes, but are set in locations that I know – I like being able to empathize with characters who are different than me, while being grounded within settings and streets I can picture in my head and may in fact walk often myself. I look forward to reading Diaz’s other works Drown and This is How You Lose Her.I’ve always been drawn to books that tell stories of cultures I’m less familiar with. I also liked that Oscar, the main character, was this nerdy guy who constantly trying to live up to this “macho man” image portrayed in his culture. What set his Oscar Wao apart from other novels for me was the use of clever, comical footnotes, characters you can empathize with and its playful use of multiple genres. By reading his words you find yourself making a connection to the characters even if the situation isn’t full applicable to you. He focuses on youth in the Dominican Republic and their struggles adapting to their new life in New Jersey not only in Oscar Wao, but his other short stories as well. The characters were and the story was colorful, unique, and gritty. I was really amazed by Diaz’s writing style when I read The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. In 2008, he received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for “Oscar Wao”.

He is best known for his two major works: the short story collection Drown and the novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Feel free to participate as well by writing your own post and as always you are welcome to use the meme/pic if you’d like (just remember to credit me).ĭíaz is a Dominican-American writer, creative writing professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and fiction editor at Boston Review.

Hi All! Wonderful Writers is a weekly segment that comes out every Wednesday! Every week I spotlight and discuss one of my favorite authors, books by them, and talk about their writing styles and such.

Short stories by junot diaz