Amazon Best of the Month, September 2007:
It’s been 11 years since Junot Díaz’s critically acclaimed story collection, Drown, landed on bookshelves and from page one of his debut novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, any worries of a sophomore jinx disappear. The titular Oscar is a 300-pound-plus “lovesick ghetto nerd” with zero game (except for Dungeons & Dragons) who cranks out pages of fantasy fiction with the hopes of becoming a Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien. The book is also the story of a multi-generational family curse that courses through the book, leaving troubles and tragedy in its wake. This was the most dynamic, entertaining, and achingly heartfelt novel I’ve read in a long time. My head is still buzzing with the memory of dozens of killer passages that I dog-eared throughout the book. The rope-a-dope narrative is funny, hip, tragic, soulful, and bursting with desire. Make some room for Oscar Wao on your bookshelf–you won’t be disappointed. –Brad Thomas Parsons
White Girl Radio Show 
I totally hated this book. Too much Spanish that I couldn’t even attempt to understand and I think it was important to the novel. I wanted to burn my copy but realized someone had lent it to me so I gave it back with a book of matches on top.
Oh how I’ve missed you. I struggled with the hombre at first myself, but then loved the sister Lola so I hung on to the end. I gave myself cultural awareness points for finishing and am planning to cash them in for a plastic spider ring sometime real soon.