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You know, i was a kid who had difficulty speaking english when i first immigrated. but in my head, when i read a book, i spoke english perfectly. no one could correct my spanish. and i think that i retreated to books as a way, you know, to be, like, masterful in a language that was really difficult for me for many years.

-Junot Diaz

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You Know, I Was A Kid Who

Junot Diaz

You know, i was a kid who had difficulty speaking english when i first immigrated. but in my head, when i read a book, i spoke english perfectly. no one could correct my spanish. and i think that i retreated to books as a way, you know, to be, like, masterful in a language that was really difficult for me for many years.

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    <p style="font-size: 1.2rem; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 10px;">"you know, i was a kid who had difficulty speaking english when i first immigrated. but in my head, when i read a book, i spoke english perfectly. no one could correct my spanish. and i think that i retreated to books as a way, you know, to be, like, masterful in a language that was really difficult for me for many years."</p>
    <footer style="font-size: 1rem; font-weight: bold;">— Junot Diaz</footer>
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More From Junot Diaz

I have a funny relationship to language. when i came to california when i was three i spoke urdu fluently and i didn't speak a word of english. within a few months i lost all my urdu and spoke only english and then i learned urdu all over again when i was nine. urdu is my first language but it's not as good as my english and it's sort of become my third language. english is my best language but was the second language i learned.

I remember reading 'the grapes of wrath' in high school in 1983. my family had immigrated to the u.s. three years before, and i had spent the better part of the first two years learning english. john steinbeck's book was the first book i read in english where i had an 'aha!' moment, namely in the famed turtle chapter.

I think it's good for anybody to learn languages. americans are particularly limited in that way. europeans less so... we're beginning to have spanish move in on english in the states because of all the people coming from hispanic countries... and we're beginning to learn some spanish. and i think that's a good thing... only having one language is very limiting... you get to think that's the way the human race is made; there's only one language worth speaking... well, this isn't good for english.

Read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read, read...if you don't read, you will never be a filmmaker.

I was raised speaking english and spanish. and i also speak danish. and i can get by in french and italian. i've acted in spanish and english, but when something has to do with emotions, sometimes i feel i can get to the heart of the matter better in spanish.

I think i went through early years of my career sort of thinking, "well, maybe i'm just not british enough." and i always remember my father saying to me, "don't think you're english, because however english you feel, some englishman is going to remind you that you're not." now, for him it must have been a much more acute experience, because he immigrated to england. i was born there, so i kind of felt i had the right to assume that i was british, but it's true. the english are a very warm and welcoming people, but there's a streak in there that reminds you, occasionally.

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I'm probably the most uncool guy that [my daughters] know-as far as they are concerned anyway-'cause i'm dad. i mean dads just aren't cool-especially when i dance! they don't want me to dance.

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