Drown - Junot Diaz

 This is the first book in a while (years, quite literally) that I have taken the time to sit down and write a review. This book was powerful, to say the least. I can't remember the last time, if ever, I cried while reading a book — and over $800 nonetheless. While reading this book, there were moments where I was "unimpressed." Unimpressed for two reasons. The first reason because I knew the praise this book has received and wanted it to be clear how amazing it was from the beginning. And second because for me it was a story I've heard many times in my own house. Coming from a Mexican-American immigrant household, this tale of Padre, his mistress, second family, immigration, struggle, and pronounced racism was all too familiar.

This book does not, however, presume its impact-fulness. It felt as though I was reading the diary of someone.

There are some readers that call Junot Diaz a misogynist for his portrayal of women in this book. I was surprised to read these criticisms because from my initial reading I could feel how much Junot Diaz sympathized with the immigrant woman, who is also a mother, daughter, boss, employee, sister, mother-in-law, etc. Junot Diaz is not a misogynist for portraying women in a subservient manner, because it portrays to the reader that these women's stories remain untold. I apologize if I sound like an apologist but I wrote this review in haste and hope to return to it in the future and expand.