by Camila Perez ’26
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
I cried the first time I read The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, and you will too. Through the use of colorful, Dominican Spanglish and profound historical insight, Junot Díaz invites us into the vibrant lives of Oscar, Lola, and their strong-willed mother, Belicia. Díaz weaves a narrative that bares the difficult realities of political violence in Latin American culture, illustrating how it ensnares both those who resist and those who conform. Oscar’s quest for love and acceptance is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. It also serves as a beautiful reminder of the trials and tribulations of young adulthood; as we witness Oscar’s initial hopefulness gradually fade into a feeling of emptiness, the reader is immersed in an experience that reflects the painful truth that growing up is neither smooth nor pleasant.
This book is for: The diasporic child seeking to understand their personal and ethnic identity formation amidst a loss of transgenerational cultural memory. Also for the everyday melodramatic teenager. Because this story will have you weeping.
The Trial by Franz Kafka
Kafka’s The Trial explores the unintelligible nature of law and order–and not just in a judicial or bureaucratic sense. Rather, Kafka also tackles this topic by inspecting the journey into existential consciousness. The book starts off with protagonist Josef K., who is arrested in his home the morning of his 30th birthday for reasons unbeknownst to both him and the reader. As the story unfolds, Josef struggles to make sense of the absurdities of his condition as he navigates a labyrinthic legal system that leads him to dead ends at every turn. What I love most about this book is how it addresses the lingering and pervasive guilt that is characteristic of the human experience and the chilling reminder that, like Josef, we are all desperately searching for meaning where meaning may not exist.
You will like this book if: You are experiencing an existential crisis!
The Paris Review No. 243, Spring 2023 Edition
This reading was first suggested to me by a very dear friend of mine (shoutout to Eli)! As is typical of this magazine, the pieces included in this edition of The Paris Review encapsulate distinct narrative styles and voices, masterfully constructing a colorful mosaic of artistic expression that makes this read so hard to put down. Specifically, this edition includes an interview with my favorite poet of all time, Rita Dove, that discusses her evolution as a writer, as well as moments that have pushed her to come into her poetic voice.
You will like this book if: You are a cool person and you like to read cool things. Sorry – I do not make the rules.
