The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
by Junot Díaz · first published 2007
88% recommend13% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Warm, funny family saga about a nerdy outcast and the curse that haunts his family across generations; readers praise its storytelling, humor, and slice-of-life drama, with pop-culture references from the 80s and 90s.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Things have never been easy for Oscar. A ghetto nerd living with his Dominican family in New Jersey, he's sweet but disastrously overweight. He dreams of becoming the next J. R. R. Tolkien and he keeps falling hopelessly in love. Poor Oscar may never get what he wants, thanks to the Fuku - the curse that has haunted his family for generations. With dazzling energy and insight Díaz immerses us in the tumultuous lives of Oscar, his runaway sister Lola, their beautiful mother Belicia, and in the family's uproarious journey from the Dominican Republic to the US and back. Rendered with unco
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2010–2020A people's tragedy
Orlando Figes
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 55 recommend · 5 mention5 recommend · 55 recommend
2010–2026The Upside of Irrationality
Dan Ariely
Recommended by 6 · mentioned by 156 recommend · 15 mention6 recommend · 156 recommend
2010–2026Of Human Bondage
William Somerset Maugham
Recommended by 9 · mentioned by 169 recommend · 16 mention9 recommend · 169 recommend
2010–2025Invisible Man
Ralph Ellison
Recommended by 10 · mentioned by 2210 recommend · 22 mention10 recommend · 2210 recommend
2009–2026Madame Bovary
Gustave Flaubert
Recommended by 16 · mentioned by 3816 recommend · 38 mention16 recommend · 3816 recommend
2008–2026A supposedly fun thing I'll never do again
David Foster Wallace
Recommended by 39 · mentioned by 5139 recommend · 51 mention39 recommend · 5139 recommend
2008–2026A Confederacy of Dunces
John Kennedy Toole
Recommended by 41 · mentioned by 7041 recommend · 70 mention41 recommend · 7041 recommend
2008–2026Childhood’s End
Arthur C. Clarke
Recommended by 42 · mentioned by 7542 recommend · 75 mention42 recommend · 7542 recommend
…in the Culture series, well-written but way way longer than it should be, which is annoying) John le Carre, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (re-read this spy classic, for Le Carre's style) Junot Diaz, The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao (peppered with nerdy references from the 80ies and 90ies, the style is annoying at first, but grows on you, and the novel only gets better. A great novel) I was where you are a few years ago: realized…
on “Ask HN: What are you reading right now?” ↗…(http://news.rapgenius.com/The-supreme-court-of-the-united-st...), it's all on Rap Genius (or Poetry Genius, or News Genius, or... you get the idea). One of our favorite recent examples is Junot Diaz's amazing annotations on an excerpt from his own The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (http://poetry.rapgenius.com/Junot-diaz-the-brief-wondrous-li...). BENEFITS * Bomb salary and equity—you won't be taking a pay cut to work here * We don't count vacation days * Free meals in the office,…
on “Ask HN: Who is hiring? (November 2013)” ↗…Nik - Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom: The Golden Age of Rock Cork, Richard - David Bomberg Crane, Hart - Bridge, The Danto, Arthur C. - Beyond The Brillo Box DeLillo, Don - White Noise Diaz, Junot - Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao, The Döblin, Alfred - Berlin Alexanderplatz Dos Passos, John - 42nd Parallel, The Edwards, Frank - Strange People Elliot, T.S. - Waste Land, The Faulkner, William - As I Lay Dying Figes, Orlando - A…
on “David Bowie’s Top 100 Books (2013)” ↗The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Excellent storytelling, humour and slice of life human drama. It's just amazing how Junot Diaz tells of the tragedy of one family and the fukú curse that haunts them over generations. http://www.amazon.com/The-Brief-Wondrous-Life-Oscar/dp/15944...
on “Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?” ↗The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Díaz (fiction) - At face value, a story about a nerdy outcast in love, which means most people I know will relate to it. Pulitzer Prize winner. The Elements of Typographic Style by Bringhurst (design)…
on “Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?” ↗…(http://news.rapgenius.com/The-supreme-court-of-the-united-st...), it's all on Rap Genius (or Poetry Genius, or News Genius, or... you get the idea). One of our favorite recent examples is Junot Diaz's amazing annotations on an excerpt from his own The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (http://poetry.rapgenius.com/Junot-diaz-the-brief-wondrous-li...). BENEFITS * Bomb salary and equity—you won't be taking a pay cut to work here * We don't count vacation days * Free meals in the…
on “Ask HN: Who is hiring? (September 2013)” ↗…(http://news.rapgenius.com/The-supreme-court-of-the-united-st...), it's all on Rap Genius (or Poetry Genius, or News Genius, or... you get the idea). One of our favorite recent examples is Junot Diaz's amazing annotations on an excerpt from his own The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (http://poetry.rapgenius.com/Junot-diaz-the-brief-wondrous-li...). BENEFITS * Bomb salary and equity—you won't be taking a pay cut to work here * We don't count vacation days * Free meals…
on “Ask HN: Who is hiring? (October 2013)” ↗…Walter Isaacson Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli Hatchet by Gary Paulsen Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates Band of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose The Millionaire…
on “Show HN: I've compiled a list of the top books for men according to 56 blogs” ↗I wonder how much of goth locations depend on mass transit options. We should put trackers on all of them, obviously, and do a controlled study. I just started reading "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz, and it is about a kid who is into subcultures within a strong Dominican community inside a larger NYC community. Interesting parallels.
on “Have you ever seen a goth downtown?” ↗