Bodega Dreams
A Novel

I loved this book so much. It was such a good story. Young Chino is trying to make it with his wife Blanca, but yoooo there is soooo much drama that he gets caught up in with his homeboy Sapo. Sapo is a full-on weirdo with a penchant for biting folks in fights, but him and Chino have been bros since......more

I was surprised by how much I liked this. A kind of modern day adaptation of The Great Gatsby set in Harlem. Our main character is a young Hispanic man, trying to keep his head down, get an education and keep his wife happy. His childhood connection with local drug dealer Sapo though means he gets e......more

I am trying so hard to figure out Bodega Dreams. Oscar Quinonez created a work with multiple layers and textures but I am unsure if it is all smoke and mirrors. Ranging from, "Yeah, I know guys like that," to characters who are caricatures, Quinonez populates his first novel with peeps from the hood......more

I fucking loved it. Yes, it’s got the Gatsby stuff which is great, but what really got me was the feeling of home and knowing the characters or real life versions of them. A great read. I’m on a real NYC kick right now and this was perfect.......more

This is a wonderful story -- and great to use in the NYC classroom, as students many students will be able to relate to the cultural issues of East Harlem. Allusions to THE GREAT GATSBY made me a bit weary at first, but this novel questions what we assume about crime and justice continually, hitting......more