Recommended reading for newbies???

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RHM

Doctor of Diplomacy
Sep 23, 2002
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www.thecandidacy.com
What books would you recommend to people interested in learning more about the DR?

Here are a few I would put toward the top of any list:

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa
The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat
The Dictator Next Door by Eric Paul Roorda
Aunt Clara?s Dominican Cookbook by Clara Gonzalez and Ilana Benady
In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

I'd also recommend the movie "Sanky Panky" but the sanky threads on DR1 are probably the most comprehensive resource on the topic.

What am I missing? Can anyone recommend a good one-stop-shopping DR history book?

Thanks,

RHM
 
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appleman

New member
Dec 18, 2003
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For Newbies!

First and foremost, get and read "Culture Smart: The essential guide to customs and culture of the Dominican Repuiblic", by DR1 authors Ginnie Bedggood and Ilana Benady. It is the perfect book for anyone interested in the DR.

For History Read "The Dominican Republic:A National History", by Frank Moya Pons.
 
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Chirimoya

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2002
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Thanks for including the cookbook RHM and thanks for the plug for Culture Smart, appleman.

My additions to the OP's list:

Dead Man in Paradise by JB MacKinnon is an absolute gem of a book - reportage, travelogue, thriller, history - and very well written.
Amazon.com: Dead Man in Paradise (9780571231270): J. B. MacKinnon: Books

Why the Cocks Fight by Michele Wucker is a definitive book about the DR-Haiti dynamic. I wish she would update it.
Amazon.com: Why the Cocks Fight: Dominicans, Haitians, and the Struggle for Hispaniola (9780809097135): Michele Wucker: Books

Song of the Water Saints - Nelly Rosario - fiction - family saga genre with touches of magic realism
Amazon.com: Song of the Water Saints (9780375725494): Nelly Rosario: Books: Reviews, Prices & more

For the Dominican diaspora perspective:
- Something to Declare - Julia Alvarez - this is a superb collection of essays.
- Drown by Junot D?az - the short story collection, published in 1996, which got him noticed

Soledad by Angie Cruz (fiction) and Muddy Cup (document of an ?migr? family history) by Barbara Fischkin get an honourable mention

http://www.amazon.com/Soledad-Novel...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1288886342&sr=1-1

Amazon.com: MUDDY CUP: A Dominican Family Comes of Age in a New America: Barbara Fischkin: Books: Reviews, Prices & more
 
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peep2

Bronze
Oct 24, 2004
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Must read

I've been visiting the D.R. for over 20 years. Now that I am retired, I spend about half my time there. Mostly in the winter. I own a home in the capitol and have my residency. I came across the "Culture Smart guide to the Dominican Republic" while browsing through Amazon looking for a book to read on the airplane. What a delightful book! It provides excellent explanations for the many incomprehensible (to me) things that Dominicans do that make life so interesting. I believe the authors contribute to these forums so I would like to say "thank-you" to them for writing such an informative book.
 
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tinfo

New member
Feb 4, 2011
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books about DR or by DR authors

For books about the DR contact The Meeting Place (Meeting Place Puerto Plata, English books). This place has a great collection of DR themed books. Some for sale, others for members are on loan. But there is also a permanent collection (for consultation on site) of books about the DR. This non-profit, non-commercial volunteer project hopes to promote DR history and culture to those visiting and living in the DR. If you have any DR themed books that you want to contribute to the resource centre this would be a good place that would let others enjoy them.
 
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