The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

| 4.00 | 233,833 ratings and reviews

Recommended by Timothy Ferriss, Kushanava Choudhury, and 2 others. See all reviews

Ranked #22 in Pulitzer Prize, Ranked #25 in Latin — see more rankings.

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 Fukœ—the curse that has haunted the 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.

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Reviews and Recommendations

We've comprehensively compiled reviews of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao from the world's leading experts.

Timothy Ferriss Author & EntrepreneurRaised in a culture where men are powerful, sexual, and dominant, the Klingon-speaking, D&D-playing chubby boy thinks he’ll never find true love or physical affection. Oscar struggles as a young immigrant from the Dominican Republic living with his older sister and mother in Paterson, New Jersey. A fun read with lots of geek culture, great history, and oh, it also won the Pulitzer Prize. (Source)

Kushanava Choudhury Oscar Wao is very real to me. When I read Wao, I think, there but for the grace of God go I. (Source)

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