Junot Diaz’s Drown short stories exemplify the struggles of a Dominican Republic immigrant in the United States to achieve the American Dream, the concept of racism and the idea of hyper masculinity pushed upon a young boy growing up.

Moreno, Marisel. Debunking Myths, Destabilizing Identities: A Reading of Junot Diaz’s "How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie." Fall2007, Vol. 26 Issue 2.

This article is presented with an essay which analyzes the short story "How to Date a Brown girl, Black girl, White girl, or Halfie," by Junot Diaz. It reflects on racial ethics and how one generation can affect another by embedding in our psyche that racism is the fault of our ancestors; as it is something that has been handed down from generation to generation.
I chose this article because the racism that the characters faced within Drown is quite similar to the ones faced by immigrants in the United States. There is a racial and ethnic tension among blacks and Hispanics which in some cases turns violent. Examples of this can be found in the short story that gives the name to the novel: Yunior´s mother relates to him of the attacks of African Americans on Hispanics in their neighborhood.

Oulahan, Cain W. “The American dream deferred: family separation and immigrant visa adjudications at U.S. consulates abroad”. Marquette Law Review. Summer2011, Vol. 94 Issue 4, p1351-1379. 29p

This article expounds on a series of punitive immigration laws designed to ramp up enforcement and deter illegal immigration. It explains how the system puts families through unnecessary and unjustifiable hardship by imposing a punishment that is disproportionate to the seriousness of the immigration violation. As a result, families are torn apart.
I chose this article because it will help to explain the impact Yunior father’s absence had on his life. Being that his father abandoned him when he was only 4 years old, his mother works long hours at a local chocolate factory while his grandfather watched them. Consequently, Yunior family lived in poverty without having enough food or clothing and other necessities.

Riofrio, John. “Situating Latin American masculinity: immigration, empathy and emasculation in Junot Diaz’s Drown”. Atenea. jun2008, Vol. 28 Issue 1, p23-36.14p.
This scholarly article discusses the impact that immigration has on the masculinity of Latin American males. It is mainly focused on defining masculinity and the poor living conditions in Latin America. The information Riofrio provides helps me to understand how various situations and characters deal differently with poverty and desperately fight for their survival.
I chose this article because it is credible, easy to read, and provides information on the definition of masculinity to Rafa and Yunior. It also touches on poverty which the Rafa’s family experienced. There was not enough or little food, clothes and other necessities though the boys’ mother worked long hours, sometimes fourteen-hour shifts, at a local chocolate factory. This family dynamics will prove in the future to have a serious effect on the decisions that Yunior chooses for himself.

Cutulo, Ruby, “Junot Diaz: Guns and Roses”. Journal Article, vol.250, issue 31, (July 30,2012 ), . . 31-32, Web. 26 March, 2013 This writing piece is based on Junot Diaz profile and his writing style. It provides information on his background and the reasons why he wrote this book. He answers questions as to why he seems to have a different perspective on masculinity and his perspective of life. This allowed me to see his passion and give thought to the messages he provided in his book.
I chose this journal because it allows me further understand the author so that I may analyze and further extend my knowledge of his messages throughout his several stories.