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Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
Sep 2007, 352 pages
Paperback:
Sep 2008, 352 pages
Book Reviewed by:
Lucia Silva
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This article relates to The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
As much the tale of a teenage
misfit as it is the story of the
Dominican Diaspora in the United
States, The Brief and
Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
is filled with references to the
Dominican Republic, and in
particular to the ruler whose
profile defined the country in
the twentieth century - Rafael
Leonidas Trujillo, the "Dictatingest
Dictator who ever Dictated".
(J.D.)
A Short History of the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic occupies two-thirds of the
island of Hispaniola, which it
shares with Haiti (map).
Claimed by Christopher Columbus
in 1492, Hispaniola became a
springboard for Spanish conquest
of the Caribbean and the
American mainland. In 1697,
Spain recognized French dominion
over the western third of the
island, which became Haiti in
1804. The remainder of the
island sought to gain its own
independence in 1821, but was
conquered and ruled by the
Haitians for 22 years. It
finally attained independence as
the Dominican Republic in 1844.
In 1861, the Dominicans
voluntarily returned to the
Spanish Empire, but two years
later they launched a war that
restored independence in 1865.
A legacy of unsettled, mostly
non-representative rule
followed, capped by the
dictatorship of Rafael
Leonidas Trujillo from
1930-61, who used violence and
intimidation as his primary
means of political persuasion.
While the island benefited from
a lucrative sugar trade with the
United States, Trujillo
established his legacy as a
thug, a racist and a murderer.
He was one of a handful of Latin
American heads of state to
welcome Jewish émigrés fleeing
Nazi persecution with the intent
of "whitening" the Dominican
populous (read, removing the
stain of indigenous and African
blood). Perhaps the
quintessential moment of his
rule came in 1937 when, under
the pretext of a political
dispute, he ordered the massacre
of thousands of Haitians to
promote the island's racial
purity.
Trujillo ruled the Island for
three decades alternating
periods of nominal democracy
with blatant authoritarianism.
Along the way he enriched
himself tremendously, treating
the DR's natural resources and
state-owned enterprises as
personal assets. Trujillo joined
in a mutually protective
alliance with arguably the only
twentieth century Caribbean
ruler more infamous than
himself, Haiti's Francois
Duvalier (aka Papa Doc).
On May 30, 1961, Trujillo was
assassinated by a group of
Dominican militants armed and
aided by the CIA. Kennedy and
his advisors had become
concerned that Trujillo's
repression would cause another
Cuban revolution.
Today, The Dominican Republic
has a population of a little
over 9 million, of which
Haitians are the largest foreign
minority. About half the
population live in rural areas.
Tourism and transport account
for almost 2/3rds of GDP. A
further quarter comes from sugar
refining, pharmaceuticals,
cement, light manufacturing and
construction; the remainder from
agriculture. It enjoys a per
capita GDP of $3,247, almost
twice that of neighboring Haiti
($1,800), but a fraction of the
USA ($43,000).
Also of Interest: Edwidge
Danticat's
Brother, I'm Dying,
which is reviewed below.
This "beyond the book article" relates to The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. It originally ran in October 2007 and has been updated for the
September 2008 paperback edition.
"Berlin's new book is a marvel, filled with deeply touching stories about lives on the fringes."—NPR
About the bookNothing to See Here
by Kevin Wilson
A moving and uproarious novel about a woman who finds meaning caring for two children with remarkable abilities.
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BUTTERFLY YELLOW
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