About this title: A debut collection of stories that move from the barrios of the Dominican Republic to the struggling urban communities of New Jersey. First published in 1996.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Description: Acceptable. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Very Good. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: New. Orders placed after Dec. 7 cannot be guaranteed delivery before Christmas. GREAT BUY. Brand New From US Distributor. WE ARE A 5 STAR SELLER with OVER 3, 500, 000 BOOKS SOLD. read more
Description: Very good; Collectible. No Junk! Item will ship on next business day in a jiffy envelope. NEW condition except for a few creases in covers and nearest pages. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover
Date Published: 1996-08-08
ISBN-13:9781573220415ISBN:1573220418
Description: Very Good. Book Club Edition, full number line but no price shown on jacket flap. Almost like new hardcover with dustjacket. No marks inside or out, mild shelf wear only. Binding tight and square, corners sharp. Riverhead Books, New York, 1996. 208 pages. Pulitzer prize-winning authors first book, a collection of short stories, some printed earlier in other formats. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: FABER AND FABER Country = UNITED KINGDOM
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780571244973ISBN:0571244971
Description: BRAND NEW PAPERBACK. 176 pages. Contains stories that move from the barrios of the dominican republic to the struggling urban communities of new jersey. (Paperback) read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9781573226066ISBN:1573226068
Description: New. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 208 p. Audience: General/trade. Multiple copies available, excellent customer service, now and after, tracking number provided read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9781573226066ISBN:1573226068
Description: Fine. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 208 p. Audience: General/trade. Multiple copies available, excellent customer service, now and after, tracking number provided read more
Edition: First edition thus
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Riverhead Books, New York
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9781573220415ISBN:1573220418
Description: Very Good. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. 208 pp.; 21 cm. Near fine. Tight, clean text. Light edgewear. Debut collection of stories by Diaz, a widely-acclaimed Dominican American writer. Contents: Ysrael; Fiesta, 1980; Aurora; Aguantando; Drown; Boyfriend; Edison, New Jersey; How to date a browngirl, blackgirl, whitegirl, or halfie; No face; Negocios. read more
Edition: First Paperback Edition
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Putnam Pub Group, E Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1996
ISBN-13:9781573220415ISBN:1573220418
Edition: First Edition, First Printing
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Riverhead, New York
Date Published: 1996
ISBN-13:9781573220415ISBN:1573220418
Description: Very Good+ in a Near Fine dustjacket. Brown boards quarterbound in burgundy cloth. The spine is stamped in gilt. Black endpapers. Octavo. 208pps. There are a few light smudges in the margins of the text, a thin and unobtrusive soilmark at the fore-edge and two dogearred page corners. Otherwise clean, tight, square, and bright. No previous ownership markings. The dustjacket, glossy in a mylar sleeve, has a touch of crinkling at the top of the rear panel; the original price (21.95) is intact. A ... read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Riverhead Books, NY
Date Published: 1996
ISBN-13:9781573220415ISBN:1573220418
Description: 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. First edition, first prnt. Lacks errata slip. Spine bottom cloth trifle rub; dustjacket with tiny crease at spine topedge. Near Fine condition in a Near Fine dustjacket with an archival cover. Diaz's first book. The image is of the book described; not a stock photo. read more
Edition: First Edition; First Printing
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Riverhead Books, New York
Date Published: 1996
ISBN-13:9781573220415ISBN:1573220418
Description: Very Good+ 9781573220415. Very small bump at head of spine, very small scratch, a few very small/faint dents, tiny taps at corners.; A lovely, unread copy of the Advance Reader's Edition/Uncorrected Proof. Author's first book.; #AA343. read more
"The linked stories in Drown are funny and really honest, some may say even "raw." They are told from the perspective of Yunior, a young Dominican boy who is raised in New Jersey by a single mother, and profanity is often used. Yunior tells stories that switch from the Dominican Republic to New Jersey and New York City. His stories are about dating girls of different races, seeing his mother long for the return of his father who has remarried, and having a homosexual experience with his best friend. I identified with many of the characters' experiences and I understood the Dominican references, however, if you do not have the same background, Diaz will transport you to his world and leave you "drowning" in pain, laughter, and thought. This is a social-commentary with all the elements of great fiction! My favorite passage is from "Aurora," the story of an emotionally needy couple, "She ran her nails over my side. A week from then she would be asking me again, begging actually, telling me all the good things we'd do and after a while I hit her and made the blood come out of her ear like worm..." This passage shows Diaz' ability to write about difficult subjects in an almost poetic manner. Brilliant!"
"Yunior is a young Dominican boy, who goes through a harsh life. He talks about his childhood with his mother and brother, his teenage/adult life, and his father's journey in the United States. Yunior went through a poor lifestyle when he was little. He did not have much to eat or wear. When he was young his brother would always pick on him. Yunior's mother worked really hard to support Yunior and Rafa. She had to go through the pain of raising her sons while her husband is cheating on her and is in the United States. Many times she had been given false hopes of going to the States, due to the bogus promises made by her husband. Yunor's father eventually brings them to the United States to live, where they start a new life.
Junot Diaz's style of writing is a bit complicated and confusing. Each chapter talks about a different setting, different timeline, and sometimes a different character. Each chapter is like a different story, it skips to the future and comes back. Diaz also uses Spanish in the book. There are some words that I understood, but it was basic Spanish.
I would not recommend this book because to me it was boring. It was confusing at first because the story was jumping around every chapter. There were Spanish words that I did not get, which caused me to not understand that part of the sentence."
"I guess I failed to taste the biggest charm when I first read this story. I was trying very hard to build my English comprehension around that time (I'm blushing...) , and my attitude was rather static and intolerable about dynamic but untidy writings like this. Still, I feel something attractive in the story --- percussive language, quick changes of sequences... I'll try to give it another go when I'm ready. Till then, I'll keep three stars."
"Compulsively readable novelistic book of short stories, raw and crude and tender all at once. Diaz has this wonderful ultra-subtle way of revealing tenderness in rough characters. Had to give a star off for the last chapter - this book kinda reminded me of "Nowhere Man" in that you get the feeling he cops out at the end, turns away from the main character and towards a hesitant imagining of his father's life. I didn't expect a happy, tidy ending, but I expected something a little more penetrating, a little more focused on the central character that I had come to admire."
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