I was floored by this collection of short stories by Junot Diaz. The writing was so raw and left me with sometimes harsh images in my mind. I read the stories out of order - originally choosing ones with titles that seemed to draw my interest. Once I read 4 of the stories, I went back and did some research on the internet and read that some of the stories had the same characters running through them. For instance, I was originally confused about "No Face" until I read that he was the same boy from "Ysrael" who had his face chewed off by a pig. I originally had intention to go back and read all of the stories, but I admit, I still haven't read them all yet.
My favorite story was "Aurora". The narrator pitied her and loved her so much - but I kept questioning what love and even caring meant to the young man. At times he seemed to have so much compassion for Aurora, but the next moment he is hitting her until her ear bleeds. He doesn't seem to know what love is, yet he doesn't turn to Aurora only for sexual relief. I don't know why this story moved me so much. I think it was the hopelessness of the situation. The narrator wanted to help Aurora who had been in juvy, but he needed some help of his own.
The story that shocked me the most was "Drown". I originally thought that the narrator was avoiding Beto because Beto escaped and was able to start a life at college, when it seemed that the narrator was smarter. Mind you, I was shocked when Beto masterbated the narrator - not once, but twice! I started to wonder why this was the story that Diaz chose to name his whole collection after. I think the title of the collection is a great one because all of the characters seem to be drowning in their own lives. However, I couldn't figure out why Diaz named the story "Drown". Was it because the narrator was left to drown in his own world while Beto moved on? Was it because of the brief flashback to the pool?
The other story that I liked was "Boyfriend" because I think it was a great way to discuss loneliness. The idea of this man walking around his apartment trying to trace the steps of his unknown neighbor just so he didn't feel alone, was a really powerful image. He was so desperate for real human contact and yet, once he made actual human contact, it wasn't as fufilling as the shadowing.
Overall, I felt that the characters in these stories were hopeless. They were drug addicts, having sex without protection, lonely and more. I don't know if this is a collection of stories that I would introduce to a classroom of adolescents. I think the stories have value because they open up a world that a lot of people don't experience first hand, but I think it is a book that is more appropriate for an older audience, perhaps college students.
Wouldn't you say that all of the characters were desperately in need of human contact.........real sensitive, tender, understanding human contact??????? Where was the guidance that all young people need in order to know the difference between right and wrong? There was none. Womanizing, infidelity, lack of responsibility seemed to be the message that the adults in these stories were giving. Guidance was so needed here.....for all of these young people. Consider the place from which they came before coming to the United States...poverty, lack of concern, no educational opportunities, no jobs, lack of concern on the part of the government. Now that they are here in the U.S. there lives are not significantly different........yes, they have a roof over their heads, they eat on a daily basis and they clotes but where do these young people go for guidance? The schools? Were the schools to which these young people in our stories going in any way concerned about them? It does not appear that teachers were reaching out to these young folks. It does not appear that school was important to them. My question for all of us is this...................these stories of hopelessness do indeed exist.............and how can we as educators fill the void that irresponsible, immature parents leave? How can we change the directions of the lives of these young people? That was the reason for the book selection. Thanks for your reflections. I am glad that you enjoyed these stories.........rough as they were. D. Ries 3-15-10
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