hipstr_hop

Touching a woman makes you a creep or a rapist in the eyes of society, and you can't hug your buddy (I mean an actual hug, not a half-assed man-hug) because it's "gay." You can't hug a child because it makes you a pedophile.

And we wonder why people are so depressed and lonely nowadays; any sort of touching is suddenly sexual, perverted, or wrong.

I guess that also explains why we're so damn sexually repressed, too.

Hey Junot, thanks so much for the AMA. "Oscar Wao" is my favorite book ever. For most of my life I struggled with being a lot like Oscar—a bookish Dominicanyork who lost the game he'd had in his younger days and struggled with depression. You hit the nail on the head when you said made that quip about how being a bookish boy of color in the hood is a lot like being a mutant or a superhero, and I don't think I've ever empathized with a character so much before. I've since read "Drown" (which I loved, too) and am planning to check out "This Is How You Lose Her" soon. Thanks so much for your great writing. Speaking as a Dominican-American, you're a hero of mine and I really feel we desperately need more people like you.

Now that I'm done gushing, my questions to you are: How do you feel about the rise of the rise in crime (delinquency, as everyone seems to call it) and gun violence back in the DR? My cousin was killed, along with his best friend, in 2010, and my family has since then thought things have been too unsafe (and honestly a bit traumatic, as the tragedy caused a bit of a rift in my family) to go back to. I personally haven't visited since around 2005.

You make quite a few allusions to D&D in "Oscar Wao." What's your favorite edition? Was there ever a memorable experience your character or your party had while playing the game?

Aguilas or Licey?

Have you ever thought of adapting "Oscar Wao" into a different medium, like a film or even a graphic novel? If not, why not? If so, who would you want to direct the film or handle the art?

Thanks a lot, Junot!