I just read: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Paul — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:37:28 +0000

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was definitely an entertaining read. I really liked Junot Diaz’ style. The story develops from the perspective of multiple different characters, and the writing is in a mix of English and Spanish (which I simply inferred the meanings of) that pulls you a little further into the world of the Dominican main characters. The biggest surprise and maybe even the overall point of the book, though, is that the book serves as a bit of history lesson about the Dominican Republic. I can certainly say that none of the historical elements discussed in this book were ever taught in my History classes.

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The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria

Paul — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:42:38 +0000

The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’ve always liked Fareed Zakaria’s columns in Newsweek a lot. He always offers a balanced look at America’s interaction with our globe-mates. I enjoyed this book a lot, especially the sections comparing America’s rise to power with Britain’s, and the entire chapters on both China and India. Some critics were down on this book because they say he doesn’t offer a solution to the Iraq issue. Well… if someone was able to come up with a nice easy fix there, don’t you think they’d already be a national superstar? Anyway, this book lays out the current status of our country’s place in the world nicely, and offers some definite insight into the things we can do to maintain our status as the global superpower, even during the “rise of the rest.”

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Waymorefunner » goodreads

I just read: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

My review

The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria

My review