Junot Diaz, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," "Drown" and "This is How You Lose Her," joined "Salon Talks" to present his latest project, "Islandborn." A little different for Diaz, "Islandborn" is neither an...
Junot Diaz, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," "Drown" and "This is How You Lose Her," joined "Salon Talks" to present his latest project, "Islandborn." A little different for Diaz, "Islandborn" is neither an essay collection nor novel, it's a children's book centered on the immigrant experience and how kids discover family roots. "I wanted to write something that would not only fill a huge absence in literature, but would also be useful for children," Diaz told Salon's D. Watkins.
The story follows a girl named Lola who attends an international school for children. She is asked to draw her home island, but there's one major problem, she was so young when her family moved, she doesn't remember what it looked it. Colorful, beautifully illustrated by Leo Espinosa and fun–– "Islandborn" tackles the power of community relationships, real connections and family pride.