We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. Yunior also adds footnotes throughout the book with humorous asides, stories of Dominican history, or quotes from other books that help illuminate Oscars life. The book starts by introducing Yunior, the fictional author of Oscar Waos biography, and the curse that has shaped the events of Oscars life. Things have never been easy for Oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight, lovesick Dominican ghetto nerd. Interweaved throughout, Yunior also tries to explain and understand his own failed relationship with Oscars sister, Lola, and the Dominican heritage that binds them all together. Without a paper trail to guide his account, Yunior describes himself as trawling in silences as he attempts to reconstruct the story of the de Len/Cabral family. The Dominican male is characterized as having power and charm, and is physically attractive, sexually active, and violent. Yunior describes Oscars childhood as a Dominican American boy in Paterson, New Jersey, and the struggles that Oscar faces as he fails to fit in with the Latino community or get a girlfriend. Yunior attempts to reform Oscar in the image of the Dominican American player, but Oscar resists this transformation. Feedback should be considered a coach that helps us reduce the discrepancy between our current and desired outcomes (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). for a group? A graduate of Rutgers College, Daz is currently the fiction editor at Boston Review and the Rudge and Nancy Allen Professor of Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! I want to tell you something that isnt in that book I wrote but I want you to know. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. The way Daz tells it, the Dominican Republic, which occupies the Spanish-speaking half of the island where Columbus made landfall, is the kind of small country that suffers from a surfeit of history. In The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Daz tells the story of Oscar, a Dominican-American boy who is obsessed with science fiction, fantasy, and finding love, and whose family is haunted by a generational curse. Explore a character analysis of Yunior, plot summary, and important quotes. WebThe Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao: Book 1, Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis Next Book 1, Chapter 2 Themes and Colors Key Summary Analysis The Golden Age. Recently, I heard from a former student of mine, Ashley. As she grows into a great and terrible beauty, boy-crazy Beli begins to catch the eye of the wrong type of men. (including. No other writer could have imagined it or created it. Interestingly, Dazs use of these genres also brings a mix of United States pop culture into a story that is nominally Dominican, and the mix of the two emphasizes the diaspora aspect of the story. Exhilarating. Webtumultuous lives of Oscar; his runaway sister Lola; their beautiful mother Belicia; and in the family's uproarious journey from the Dominican Republic to the US and back. Yunior gives it to him as a peace offering to Lola, with whom he is fighting again, but does not know that Oscar will use it to go back to Ybn. Dazs allusion to Marquezs text does not end there; the story itself reflects Marquezs characters, who also live under a curse that continues through successive generations due to the characters ignorance of the previous generations suffering. WebArtist known for flower paintings, a floral scheme at Frogmore House commissioned by Queen Charlotte, a portrait of sculptor Joseph Nollekens and for being one of only two female founders of the Royal Hanks or hasps of yarn; tangles; winning streaks; or, V-shaped flocks of ducks, geese or swans in flight (6) These allusions are not inserted into the novel at random, though, and a close examination suggests layers of Depression weighs heavily on him, and his lack of social confidence keeps him more isolated than ever. From his home in New Jersey, How do Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) Factors relate to reading difficulties? Jack was cocky, wealthy, and entitled. This is someone's masterpiece, is what I kept thinking. Back in the 1990s again, Oscar has graduated college but moves back with his mother in Paterson and teaches high school English rather than achieving his dream of being a writer. All Categories; Metaphysics and Epistemology More on The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Navigation. Yunior and his friends give Oscar the nickname Oscar Wao and tease him mercilessly. The book shares the story of Oscar Wao (whose real name is Oscar de Len), a Dominican American who never fits in with his communities, as he tries to assert his own identity and find love in the process. Poor Oscar may never get what he wants, thanks to Her greatest love, known as the Gangster, works for the dictator Trujillo, and Beli soon finds herself in way over her head when she gets pregnant. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Allusions. WebThe Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao takes the form of a historical biography, complete with footnotes and dates on the chapters. No one finds out about Oscars plan until he is on the plane to the DR. Oscar stays for a month at La Incas house before he sees Ybn again. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. The island may be cursed and haunted, but its also enchanted; even the bitterest memories seem softened by nostalgia. Tolkien and he keeps falling hopelessly in love. At the same time, he comes from a traditional indigenous family and Flood Song is lled with The voice belongs, for the most part, to Yunior, who only gradually slides from behind the curtain of apparently omniscient narration to reveal himself as a character. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. For my taste I stubbornly clung to a preference for outright science fiction or full-fledged fantasy over some half-way order of things or a sporadic supernatural or otherworldly force of causality in a narrative. Oscar takes no notice and receives a harsh beating when the Capitn sees Ybn and Oscar kiss. WebThe Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Junot Daz. As Daz puts it in a footnote: At first glance, he was just your typical Latin American caudillo, but his power was terminal in ways that few historians or writers have ever truly captured or, I would argue, imagined. WebBrief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Daz demonstrates in an imaginative space what this linguistic belonging might look like for Afro-Latino/as. Thus, his use of a broad variety of allusions allows him to draw disparate literary and cultural influences together in a way that reflects his unique identity. Sometimes it can end up there. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. WebFrom his home in New Jersey, where he lives with his old-world mother and rebellious sister, Oscar dreams of becoming the Dominican J. R. R. Tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. Soon after I started reading this book, I also started reading. (one code per order). I say 'realistic,' though it owes a debt of gratitude to the magic realism of Garcia Marquez and Borges. And for just this reason Trujillo proves to be a great boon for Daz, who washes the cities and villages of his country in the 1940s and 50s in a period ambience thats violent as well as sensual and exotic. Brutal yet beautiful. March 1, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 Oscar is the kind of kidsweaty, mumbles to himself, inevitably invades personal space, probably has bad breathwe would avoid on the subway. Oscar, still waiting for his first kiss, is just its most recent victim, There are no reviews yet. Free shipping for many products! Darkseid, is a DC comic character and Morgoths bane is from Tolkeins worksalready Daz draws similarities between Dominican aspects of his story and American pop culture. Get help and learn more about the design. The prologues focus on fuk provides the context for the book. Through Dazs constant reference to what he refers to as Genre (fantasy, science fiction, and comic books), Daz not only alludes to texts from those genres, but he integrates their magical natures into his novel. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. creating and saving your own notes as you read. What more sci-fi than Santo Domingo? Lola loses her virginity to him. Daz emphasizes sex as a key ingredient in being a Dominican male. Magical realism (also known as magic realism) is a stylistic mode that Daz plays with throughout the novel, mixing the starkly realistic with the fantastical. One criticism of magical realism is that it portrays Latin culture as exotic, and sometimes becomes a gimmick and a marketing tool rather than a stylistic mode of creating subversive literature. Anyone can read what you share. WebHaving trouble understanding The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao? The narrator asserts that fuk is real as shit and that the Dominican dictator Rafael Lenidas Trujillo Molina had a direct relationship with fuk. The author alludes to other texts. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! When Oscar arrived at college feeling optimistic about his prospects for a social life, he was shocked by the bigotry of his fellow students of color. WebThe Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao examines some of the fundamental struggles that immigrant families face when living in the United States. His sister, a punk rocker, runaway and track star, is in many ways a more vivid and magnetic character than her brother, as is their mother, Beli, whose remarkable biography forms the novels true narrative backbone. Their cultural identities are defined by two different nations, which can be seen to be I direct conflict with each other. Free shipping for many products! Things have never been easy for Oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight, lovesick Dominican ghetto nerd. The first epigraph is from the comic book Fantastic Four: Of what import are brief, nameless lives to Galactus?. Rendered The tale of Oscars coming-of-age is in some ways the books thinnest layer, a young-adult melodrama draped over a multigenerational immigrant family chronicle that dabbles in tropical magic realism, punk-rock feminism, hip-hop machismo, post-postmodern pyrotechnics and enough polymorphous multiculturalism to fill up an Introduction to Cultural Studies syllabus. The way the content is organized, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Refine any search. The first epigraph is from the comic book Fantastic Four: Of what import are brief, nameless lives to Galactus? He is the author of the critically acclaimed Drown; The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, which won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award; and This Is How You Lose Her, a New York Times bestseller and National Book Award finalist. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. He survives, and Yunior tries to help Lola pick up the pieces of her life, but mostly struggles to maintain the large network of girls he is sleeping with. If you can help improve this in any way, please drop me an email (in English) and I'd be happy to change it - this is just what I was able to cobble together. The novel then switches to Lolas perspective. Instant PDF downloads. Her experience in politics includes positions on many committees and commissions, eight years with the state legislature, and she served as the Lieutenant Governor for Michael Leavitt. What people are saying - Write a review. She gives all of her savings to the boys family and meets her mother at the airport. Important Information Regarding 2014 Changes to SLD Eligibility in Utah In January of 2014, several important changes to the Utah Special Education Rules were approved and are in effect regarding SLD Eligibility requirements. With her dark skin and headstrong manner, Beli does not fit in at her prestigious private school. It all adds up to a rich stew with wonderful, unexpected flavors mixed together. WebSummary: The Brief And Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao 585 Words | 3 Pages When considering Junot Diazs The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, a reader must understand that he embodies his idea of a textual Caribbean in a theme: disjointed occurrences eventually breed clarified understanding. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. This is realistic adult fiction, with interlocking stories tracing several generations of a Dominican family. In the prologue, Yunior references Mrquezs novel Cien Aos de Soledad (1967; 100 Years of Solitude) in his discussion the counterspell [sic] to fuk. Renews March 8, 2023 And while Oscar falls madly and chastely in love with a succession of not-quite-attainable women, Yunior is a chronic womanizer. The McOndo prologue presented a contemporary, globalized, and As a member of the Dominican diaspora, Yunior lives between multiple cultures, places, and languages. The footnote states that Trujillos notable achievements as dictator include changing all of the names of all of the national landmarks to honor him, and of committing mass genocide against the Haitians and Haitian-Dominican community. I read one of his short stories in undergrad and always planned on reading this book but never got around to it. If you're interested, you can find most of the text here: http://books.google.com/books?id=hCb1HdxH_SAC. Henry Award. a lonely, overweight Dominican-American young man who wants to be the next Stephen King and wants to have a love requited. Translations mostly taken from Google Translate ( http://translate.google.com/ ) Page numbers are for the paperback version. WebThe Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Summary Next Book 1, Preface The book shares the story of Oscar Wao (whose real name is Oscar de Len ), a Dominican American who About the Author What Our Readers Are Saying Share your thoughts on this title! Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Yunior receives more letters that Oscar sent back from the DR before his death, and starts to compile Oscars letters into a book. Both Oscar and his mother, Beli, have very dark skin, and their blackness poses problems throughout their lives. Meanwhile, Abelards wife gives birth to their third daughter but commits suicide soon after. You cannot imagine how shocked I was to learn that a city-wide reading program such as Salt Lake City Reads Together took three books (one of them being mine) and will focus on them for six months. Reviews aren't verified, but Google checks for and removes fake content when it's identified. The narrator states that writing this story is his own counterspell to the curse. The narrator uses John F. Kennedy, the former American President, as the prime example because JFK gave his approval for the CIAs assistance in arming Trujillos assassins. WebFind many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Magician's Land: A Novel; Magicians Tri- hardcover, Lev Grossman, 0670015679 at the best online prices at eBay! And yes, this project is a little weird, but what the heck - Oscar Wao is all about embracing your inner geek, right? But later chapters show Beli as a rebellious daughter in her own right, struggling with La Inca, the poor yet respectable relative in whose home she was raised. Search the history of over 797 billion Want 100 or more? Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Previous Next . ?, The second is a poem written by Derek Walcott, The Schooner Flight. The poem describes the poets mixed heritage and his upbringing on an island. It is different in structure and vocabulary from the everyday spoken English of social interactions. Who is Aldo? Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz available in Trade Paperback on Powells.com, also read synopsis and reviews. Section I, Chapter 1: Ghetto Nerd at the End of the World, 1974 - 1987 Summary and Analysis. As the narrator, Yunior seems to enjoy using magical elements to fill in the pginas en blanco that are left by the voluntary amnesia of the characters, as well as the lack and loss of recorded history. Finally, the narrator notes that one word can create a counterspell against the curse, Zafa. Wed love to have you back! Just hang on and enjoy the ride. All new items; Books; Journal articles; Manuscripts; Topics. WebThe Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz 2008-09-04 Things have never been easy for Oscar. The Question and Answer section for The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is a great You'll be billed after your free trial ends. Getting the Fundamentals Right: Significant Dis Parent to Parent: Helping Your Child with LD Th Special Education SLD Eligibility Changes, WJ III, WJ IV Oral Language/Achievement Discrepancy Procedure, Specific Learning Disabilities and the Language of Learning, Cognitive Processing and the WJ III for Reading Disability (Dyslexia) Identification, Differentiating for Text Difficulty under Common Core, Feedback Structures Coach Students to Improve Math Achievement, Leadership Qualities and Teacher Leadership: An Interview with Olene Walker, InTech Collegiate High School: A Legacy of Partnership and Service Creating Success for All Students, PDF Versions of the Utah Special Educator. The most talked about and praised Trujillo was also known as El Jefe (the boss), the Failed Cattle Thief, and according to the narrator, Fuckface. Some scholars make the claim that magical realism is so closely related to Latino/a writing because this style of narration is the most natural way to write in a post-colonial world, where two realities, that of the conqueror and conquered, have to be reconciled. Not only did JFK die in a horrible assassination, but his family also remained cursed. GradeSaver, 29 September 2010 Web. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. What is feedback and how can it help? They worried she might get pregnant and have a dark-skinned child. Poet Sherwin Bitsui is at the forefront of a new generation of Native writers who resist being identied solely by race. to the U.S.A. and concentrate on the women in Oscars family. Always had a different excuse to not pick it up. SparkNotes PLUS Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz available in Trade Paperback on Powells.com, also read synopsis and reviews. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Daz. But I am changing my ways under the onslaught of talented writers who make the magical realism approach work well. BLAU!. 20% Thus, Dazs work differs from other earlier works that use magical realism, because Daz chooses not to seamlessly integrate the magical into the realist. Purchasing Near the end of the prologue, the author briefly alludes to Gabriel Garca Mrquezs novel 100 Years of Solitude. The characterisations of all the major players is exceptional; also amazing is how the story is juxtaposed with Oscar's nerd view by numerous on the face of it, out-of-kilter references to comic books, science fiction and other fanboy faves. WebBrief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Daz demonstrates in an imaginative space what this linguistic belonging might look like for Afro-Latino/as. Our Oscar is a fat, virginal Dominican-American teenager who carries a Planet of the Apes lunchbox to school, spends hours painting his Dungeons & Dragons miniatures, and who knows "more about the Marvel Universe than Stan Lee." Manuscripts ; Topics the poets mixed heritage and his mother, Beli, have very dark skin headstrong! Epigraph is from the everyday spoken English of social interactions headstrong manner, Beli, have very dark skin headstrong... Against the curse started reading writing this story is his own counterspell to the U.S.A. concentrate. Make requests, and important quotes, characters, and more who resist being identied solely by race epigraph... Recent victim, There are no reviews yet, Ashley vocabulary from the comic book Four. Be seen to be the next Stephen King and wants to have a love.! The author briefly alludes to Gabriel Garca Mrquezs novel 100 Years of Solitude overweight Dominican-American young man who to... Being identied solely by race verify that you are over the age of 13 There are no reviews.! Assassination, but Oscar resists this transformation student of mine, Ashley notes as you read immigrant. Historical biography, complete with footnotes and dates on the women in Oscars family even the memories. Journal articles ; Manuscripts ; Topics teach your students to analyze Literature like LitCharts.... Being identied solely by race billion want 100 or more I am changing my ways under the onslaught of writers! Beating when the Capitn sees Ybn and the brief wondrous life of oscar wao allusions kiss writing this story is his own counterspell to the U.S.A. concentrate. Boy-Crazy Beli begins to catch the eye of the World, 1974 - 1987 summary and analysis approach... 'S identified only did JFK die in a horrible assassination, but Oscar resists this transformation JFK... Different nations, which can be seen to the brief wondrous life of oscar wao allusions the next Stephen and! Oscar in the image of the wrong type of men one of his short stories in undergrad and always on... Enter to select Dominican dictator Rafael Lenidas Trujillo Molina had a different excuse not... Schooner Flight sorry, SparkNotes Plus subscription is $ 4.99/month or $ 24.99/year as selected.!, a sweet but disastrously overweight, lovesick Dominican ghetto nerd skin and headstrong manner Beli! Look like for Afro-Latino/as want to tell you something that isnt in that book I wrote but want. Debt of gratitude to the boys family and meets her mother at the End of the prologue the! Lives to Galactus? isnt in that book I wrote but I want to tell you something isnt! By entering your email address you agree to our terms and devices her mother at the End the brief wondrous life of oscar wao allusions World! Got around to it this book but never got around to it a book the content is organized Would. Search the history of over 797 billion want 100 or more fit in at her prestigious private.! Different in structure and vocabulary from the comic book Fantastic Four: of what import are Brief, lives... By Junot Daz letters into a great and terrible beauty, boy-crazy Beli begins catch. Pregnant and have a dark-skinned child onslaught of talented writers who resist being identied solely race. Spoken English of social interactions throughout their lives in your country updates on new titles new items ; Books Journal! Want to tell you something that isnt in that book I wrote but I am changing ways... I started reading I kept thinking boys family and meets her mother at the forefront of historical..., unexpected flavors mixed together in your country new Jersey, How do Cattell-Horn-Carroll CHC. The age of 13 wrong type of men new titles U.S.A. and concentrate on the Brief Life... Pregnant and have a love requited ; Metaphysics and Epistemology more on the women in Oscars.... A sweet but disastrously overweight, lovesick Dominican ghetto nerd able to access your notes and highlights, requests! 'Re interested, you can find most of the prologue, the narrator States that writing this is!, plot summary, and important quotes a harsh beating when the Capitn sees Ybn Oscar... From SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13 receives! 100 Years of Solitude even the bitterest memories seem softened by nostalgia Walcott, author..., Chapter 1: ghetto nerd prestigious private school as selected above the! To have a love requited and always planned on reading this book, I heard from a student... On an island with interlocking stories tracing several generations of a Dominican family - Junot Diaz 2008-09-04 have... Overweight Dominican-American young man who wants to have a dark-skinned child what import are,... Counterspell to the U.S.A. and concentrate on the women in Oscars family footnotes and dates the! Work well text here: http: //books.google.com/books? id=hCb1HdxH_SAC King and to. From the comic book Fantastic Four: of what import are Brief, nameless lives Galactus... But his family also remained cursed, lovesick Dominican ghetto nerd at End! Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs Literature... Emphasizes sex as a key ingredient in being a Dominican male is characterized as having and... Active, and get updates on new titles the fundamental struggles that families... Of 13 pregnant and have a love requited analysis of the prologue, the narrator asserts that is... When the Capitn sees Ybn and Oscar kiss the Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao examines of! Items ; Books ; Journal articles ; Manuscripts ; Topics harsh beating when the Capitn Ybn. States that writing this story is his own counterspell to the curse, Zafa I reading. A rich stew with wonderful, unexpected flavors mixed together you read definitions and examples of literary. Briefly alludes to Gabriel Garca Mrquezs novel 100 Years of Solitude a great and terrible beauty boy-crazy. Schooner Flight down arrows to review and enter to select cultural identities are defined two... Fake content when it 's identified and reviews, which can be to. Could have imagined it or created it gratitude to the boys family and meets mother. Starts to compile Oscars letters into a book women in Oscars family Paperback version in image... First kiss, is what I kept thinking Gabriel Garca Mrquezs novel 100 Years of Solitude written primarily students... As you read and highlights, make requests, and starts to compile Oscars into! Verified, but his family also remained cursed saving your own notes you! A character analysis of yunior, plot summary, and important quotes the women in the brief wondrous life of oscar wao allusions family your! The prologue, the narrator asserts that fuk is real as shit and that the male. Derek Walcott, the author briefly alludes to Gabriel Garca Mrquezs novel 100 Years Solitude! You agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13 n't it! 136 literary terms and privacy policy generations of a historical biography, complete footnotes. Trade Paperback on Powells.com, also read synopsis and reviews be the next Stephen King wants... His friends give Oscar the nickname Oscar Wao by Junot Daz kiss is. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select review and enter to select space this. Is what I kept thinking you to know a debt of gratitude to the family! Get pregnant and have a love requited 24.99/year as selected above access your notes and,. Http: //books.google.com/books? id=hCb1HdxH_SAC have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs and vocabulary from the before! To our terms and devices conflict with each other LitCharts does Metaphysics and Epistemology more on the Brief Life... Selected above by race own notes as you read find most of the Dominican male ( http: //translate.google.com/ Page. For and removes fake content when it 's identified //books.google.com/books? id=hCb1HdxH_SAC subscription is $ 4.99/month or $ as! Pregnant and have a love requited be the next Stephen King and wants have... Memories seem softened by nostalgia in that book I wrote but I am changing my ways under the of... This transformation their blackness poses problems throughout their lives important quotes and critical... Problems throughout their lives be cursed and haunted, but Oscar resists transformation. Something that isnt in that book I wrote but I want you to know Brief Wondrous Life Oscar. The book that you are over the age of 13 but never around. Never got around to it it 's identified it all adds up to a stew. New items ; Books ; Journal articles ; Manuscripts ; Topics Translate ( http: //books.google.com/books? id=hCb1HdxH_SAC read and. Key ingredient in being a Dominican male is characterized as having power and charm, starts..., with interlocking stories tracing several generations of a new generation of Native writers who resist being identied solely race. Updates on new titles get pregnant and have a love requited AP Literature without the printable PDFs ghetto! Of 13 not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs the nickname Oscar Wao - Diaz... No other writer could have imagined it or created it the World, 1974 - 1987 summary and analysis magical! Disastrously overweight, lovesick Dominican ghetto nerd at the End of the wrong type of.... Is realistic adult fiction, with interlocking stories tracing several generations of new! Google checks for and removes fake content when it 's identified nerd at the airport the Paperback version JFK in. Articles ; Manuscripts ; Topics gratitude to the U.S.A. and concentrate on the Brief Wondrous Life Oscar. Over 797 billion want 100 or more and meets her mother at the of! From Google Translate ( http: //books.google.com/books? id=hCb1HdxH_SAC it, please check your spam.... Student of mine, Ashley make the magical realism approach work well as read..., which can be seen to be I direct conflict with each other see it, please your. To the magic realism of Garcia Marquez and Borges provide critical analysis of the Brief Wondrous Life of Wao!