Book Review.. "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close"

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is very much different than any other book I have ever read. The story is told around Oskar Schell, a nine year old boy who's recently lost his father to the tragedy of 9/11. With his father gone, Oskar is left alone and hopeless. The story takes you on a young boy's sometimes unbelievable adventure in search of answers to life's who's how's, and why's. While the trip may seem like one he's endured all alone, he eventually realizes that unbeknownst to him those that love him dearly have been with him all along.
The story is told from 3 different perspectives and this adds to the complexity but it serves for a better understanding of the characters thought process in the novel.
The book can be a complex read initially but once you get a hold of the style of writing, along with the helpful accompanying images, it flows well and quickly.
The author Jonathan Safran Foer's style is intriguing, and unlike any other writing I have ever read. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a powerful and exceptionally written novel about finding oneself. A definite must read and a book you won't soon forget.

Book Review.. "The White Boy Shuffle"

Ok so its been quite a minute between my first book review and this second one. I've read quite a few books since just haven't managed to sit and write reviews for them. I will try to pump them out with more regularity (yea I know I've said that before.. all I can say is Ima try!)
This is my first book by the critically acclaimed Paul Beatty and I chose it mainly because of the provocative title. The story details the life of nerd turned poet/basketball star Gunnar Kaufman, who begins his life growing up in the suburban streets of Santa Monica only to be uprooted and moved to Central LA because his mom felt he and his 2 sisters lacked racial identity. Gunnar proceeds to struggle with his racial identity but it's his individuality that allows him to succeed despite this world's never-ending stereotypes and labels.
Without getting into a cliffnotes type review, Beatty does an excellent job at portraying black culture in America and drills it consistently throughout the novel. The purpose or intent I think isn't to glorify it or for justification, but rather to paint it for what it really is, a depleted culture. The result is an honest and accurate depiction of ghetto life. Simply put, the social commentary and Beatty's clever use of vocabulary alone make this book a definite must read.

Book Review.. "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz

Ok, I'm gonna try to make this a habit. Since I've been making an effort to read more, why not write what I thought of the books on here.. Now I ain't Oprah or The NY Times so my reviews are pretty much gonna be off the cuff and informal on some what I felt type shit..
For This first one, I chose this book based on the simple fact the author was Dominican. I grew up a Puerto Rican/Costa Rican living on the border of Wash Heights and Harlem so the cultural influence of both Dominicans and African American friends was pretty strong.
The story is basically about three generations of one Dominican family. Its main character is Oscar, a fat, lazy, nerdy, uncool, always-will-be-a-virgin loser. Oscar is in search of true Love and is willing to risk everything to find it. The fictional story explores the history of a what seems to be a family cursed, and supports it with factual accounts of the evil and corrupt cultural history of Dominican dictators. The author, Junot Diaz does an excellent job of blending together ghetto spanglish slang, a number of odes to pop culture, and Dominican historiographical substance. Diaz's writing style is an excellent balance of comedic truth and blunt, cynical lyricism... Simply put, Oscar Wao pretty much made me want to read again..


*Junot Diaz had actually taught a class in Syracuse which I found out after the fact, so needless to say I didn't take it..