1. JUNOT DIAZ 1968- “I’m sentence by sentence slow. And you would think that I would create more elaborate sentences. For all my plod, I still produce rather workmanlike, short sentences. So in some ways it’s rather sad, but yep, it’s both. It’s easy to talk about this shit because people will tell you nonsense, but I think the slowness of my production speaks for itself. I work extremely slowly, and I will re-write a story fifty times.” ~from an interview with Marina Lewis (Other Voices #36)

2. Short Biography Born 1969, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Moved to the United States with his parents at age six, settling in New Jersey. Graduate of Rutgers University and received his Master of Fine Arts Degree from Cornell University. Drown (1996). Diaz's debut story collection reflects his experience as a Dominican born in the barrios of Santo Domingo who was later transplanted to the gritty environment of urban northern New Jersey. Published when he was 27 years old. Currently a creative writing professor at MIT. Became the First Latino to be appointed to the Pulitzer Prize board of Jurors http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq0hytHV8o4

3. Major Themes Absent fathers Aimless sex Dreary housing projects (from his New Jersey childhood) Mothers struggling for their families and themselves Casual and deliberate cruelty Poverty

4. Major Works “ The Sun, the Moon and the Stars,” his first short story (1996) Drown (2000) Cheater's Guide to Love (2007) The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2012) This Is How You Lose Her (TBA) Monstro

5. “Drown” - Characters: Yunior- Living in the US with only his mother now Mother- Quiet and lost, misses Yunior’s father Beto- Yunior’s old friend Alex and Danny- The guys Yunior drinks with at night Recruiter- Tries to recruit Yunior for the Army Father- Only present in flashbacks and when Yunior’s mother talks to him on the phone. Lives in Florida now with another woman.

6. “Drown” - Summary Mother tells Yunior that Beto is back and wants to see him Beto left for college and Yunior stayed behind Yunior goes to the pool in the middle of the night, half- expecting to see Beto there Mother doesn’t understand why Yunior and Beto don’t hang out anymore Yunior takes his mother to the mall. It’s one of the only times she leaves the apartment Yunior and Beto used to shoplift together Army recruiter once tried to recruit Yunior Yunior skipped out of school a lot Beto and Yunior had two homosexual encounters

7. Main Theme Difficulty of changing one’s place in life, despite the recognition that there are preferable alternatives that might be achieved with hard work.

8. Questions for discussion Is Yunior ashamed of his ability to read? (see page 1243) What do you think is the meaning of the title? How does the title relate to the story? What sorts of metaphorical drowning are present in the story? What are some elements that show racial antagonism in the story? “Drown” closes with two parallel scenes: the narrator and Beto watch a porn movie together, and then the narrator and his mother watch a classic movie together. Analyze the significance of these moments. How are they similar? How are they different?