This Is How You Lose Her (Week 12)

Junot Díaz’s This Is How You Lose Her contains several short stories, most of which revolve around his reoccurring protagonist Yunior. Yunior is not an especially likable person, and I struggle to figure out if Yunior’s unsympathetic character is intentional or not. The stories’ attempts to show why he is the irresponsible, machismo-loving delinquent he is definitely try to explain what made him this way, but I am uncertain if they also intend to excuse his boorish personality. Further complicating things is how much of an author avatar that Yunior may or may not be for Junot Díaz. Considering the sexual harassment allegations against Díaz in real life and the less than flattering views Yunior expresses about the women in his life, it paints a rather unfortunate picture. The matter of whether or not his work should still be mandated by the curriculum is a debate I am not nearly qualified enough to partake in, though if I had to express an opinion, I think it would be worth it to keep his writing in for the sake of Dominican-American literature, though if we were to find a better candidate with a much less problematic reputation, I would recommend them to replace Díaz in a heartbeat. Then again, I’m also the person who suggested that it wouldn’t technically be supporting him if we were to steal his books rather than pay for them legally, which is why I definitely do not belong in that conversation. My political opinions aside, the book’s anachronistic order of telling the stories serves to confuse and confound me, and as always leaves me wondering what artistic value was so important to maintain through telling the story out of order that confusing the reader was considered necessary. I was also especially confused by the chapter that was not told from his perspective.