Reading Junot Díaz /

In this thorough study, González (Texas A&M, Commerce) presents readers with the first book-length analysis of the critically acclaimed Dominican American author Junot Díaz and his work. The introduction underscores the importance of Díaz in contemporary American literature and examines those features in his narration that place him in a unique position within US Latino/a literature. Gonzalez highlights Díaz's unabashed use of code switching, which he does "without much consideration for a reader [who] does not speak Spanish," allowing "the Spanish to stand for itself." The author also addresses Díaz's groundbreaking blending of Dominican culture and American and British popular culture, including film, television, science fiction, and comic books. Each of the first three chapters centers on a particular work--chapter 1, on how the characters and narrators in the short story collection Drown (1996) fail to break through societal expectations regarding gender roles; chapter 2 on The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007), in particular the relationship between its non-stereotypical title character and the narrator, Yunior; chapter 3 on This is How You Lose Her (2012). And in the last chapter Gonzalez looks at Díaz's uncollected fiction and nonfiction essays. In sum, a valuable contribution to Latino/a and American studies. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. --Yvette Fuentes, Nova Southeastern University