Guest DJ Junot Diaz: 'It Takes Guts To Be Alive'

Junot Diaz's new book is titled This Is How You Lose Her.

Courtesy of the artist

Editor's note: This is an encore presentation of Alt.Latino from September 2012.

Dominican author Junot Diaz joins us this week on Alt.Latino. Best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao, Diaz is one of the most exciting contemporary Latin writers in the business. His new book, This Is How You Lose Her, tells the story of a man's downward spiral after his fiancée finds out about his numerous infidelities and leaves him. In true Diaz fashion, the book's characters are charming, sad, hilarious and at times infuriating. One man's life serves as a window into other issues, as well: the Caribbean exodus, sexism in Hispanic culture, the resilience of immigrant communities in America and more.

While we'd planned for a simple discussion with Diaz about his new book and the music he loves, we got more than we bargained for; the discussion felt like a get-together with old friends.

Sit back, relax and join in on our conversation — it's the crown jewel of Alt.Latino's Guest DJ series.