[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 59 (Tuesday, April 15, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E616]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CONGRATULATING JUNOT DIAZ FOR WINNING THE 2008 PULITZER PRIZE FOR 
                                FICTION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 15, 2008

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to praise and congratulate 
Junot Diaz for winning the Pulitzer Prize for fiction on Monday, April 
7, 2008, for his novel ``The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.''
  Junot Diaz was born in the Dominican Republic on December 31, 1968, 
but has lived most of his life in New Jersey. As a child he loved 
reading, and his favorite book of all time is ``Planet of the Apes.'' 
After high school, Junot attended the University of Rutgers where he 
received his Bachelor's Degree in English in 1992, later received his 
Master of Fine Arts at the University of Cornell in 1995, where he 
decided to develop his passion for creative writing.
  Junot Diaz first made a name for himself with his critically 
acclaimed short story collection ``Drown'' in 1996, which featured the 
short stories ``Ysrael'', and ``Drown''. In this novel he developed the 
short stories into segments of the life of a Dominican immigrant 
getting accustom to life in the United States. He also published a 
translated version of ``Drown'' titled ``Negocios.'' This short story 
novel made him a household name in the Dominican American communities 
nationwide.
  His latest novel, ``The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao'' has been 
praised as the best novel of 2007 by Time Magazine, New York Magazine, 
the Washington Post, and countless other newspaper publications. In 
this novel he portrayed the story of a boy, who is fascinated with 
comic books, who lives with a dysfunctional Dominican family, who 
decide to move back home during the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo.
  Junot Diaz is a wonderful example that anything you put your mind and 
dedication to can be achieved in great depth. He has achieved goals 
that many only dream about in a lifetime, at a tender age of 39. He 
serves as a great role model for youth in the United States as evidence 
the American dream can be achieved.

                          ____________________