The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

Title: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Author: Junot Diaz
Published: September 2007 by Riverhead
Pages: 340
ISBN: 9781594489587

Description: Things have never been easy for Oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight, lovesick Dominican ghetto nerd. From his home in New Jersey, where he lives with his old-world mother and rebellious sister, Oscar dreams of becoming the Dominican J. R. R. Tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. But he may never get what he wants, thanks to the Fuku - the curse that has haunted Oscar's family for generations, dooming them to prison, torture, tragic accidents, and, above all, ill-starred love. Oscar, still waiting for his first kiss, is just its most recent victim.

I Give This Book 3.5 Stars

I'm still not sure what makes this book a literary genius.  First off I dislike fiction stories that include footnotes.  Although, I know they are there to state facts, I still found myself not reading them.  There is an interesting history trapped in these pages.  And that I did enjoy.  I liked the story involving Oscar's heritage and the history of the Dominican.  He's mother's story was particularly harrowing.  But, the story of Oscar himself bordered on vulgar at times.  I felt like it was 340 pages of a man's desire to have sex for the first time.  I finished it (and it took me longer than most books this size do), but I don't feel I learned anything from it.