Artists are not cheerleaders, and we're not the heads of tourism boards. We expose and discuss what is problematic, what is contradictory, what is hurtful and what is silenced in the culture we're in.
Junot DiazRead
It's extraordinary how many people read a book that's new and weird and befriend it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
People are often drawn to unique and unfamiliar books, forming a connection with them.
In this quote, Junot Diaz highlights the remarkable tendency of individuals to engage with literature that challenges their norms and expectations. Often, these 'new and weird' books offer fresh perspectives and foster relationships with their readers, allowing them to explore new ideas and emotions that may not be present in more familiar narratives.
Themes
BooksReadingLiteratureConnectionFriendship
In practice
Example use cases
In a book club discussion about unconventional novels, one might use this quote to emphasize the joy of discovering unique stories.
More from Junot Diaz
All quotes βRun a hand through your hair, like the white boys do, even though the only thing that runs easily through your hair is Africa.
Junot DiazRead
I can see myself watching him shave every morning. And at other time I see us in that house and see how one bright day (or a day like this, so cold your mind shifts every time the wind does) he will wake up and decide it's all wrong. I'm sorry, he'll say. I have to leave now.
Junot DiazRead
Migration gives a blank cheque to put anything you don't feel like addressing in the memory hold. No neighbours can go against the monster narrative of your family.
Junot DiazRead
We all dream dreams of unity, of purity; we all dream that there's an authoritative voice out there that will explain things, including ourselves.
Junot DiazRead
I think 90% of my ideas evaporate because I have a terrible memory and because I seem to be committed to not scribble anything down. As soon as I write it down, my mind rejects it.
Junot DiazRead
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I think the job of writing and literature is to encourage each one of us to believe that we're living in a story.
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