[elcalifornio]

Not quite sure why Diaz has the Dominican Republic flag by his name. He's very much American, albeit of a culture that people outside this country might not see as "American" (possibly because there are no stereotypes of fat Latinos slurping Coke and banning all things French). It's not as simple as classifying such immigrant strands of American identity by the fact that they do spend a lot of time psychologizing about their immediate past in either oppressive political situations or oppressive poverty. One cannot talk about being in a " Dominican" family if one is in the DR; it's an American discussion, the immigrant's discussion.

Additionally, I think Diaz, though very close to his roots in the DR, would probably have trouble with the flag as representing a national identity. There is a particular brand of Dominican "nationalism" that places authenticity with those Dominicans who stay on the island, despite holding an affinity for their Urbano-American brethren. There's a difference between the urban (rich) and rural (poor) lives, which I think he even discusses in his writing.

His writing is also very American, having some clear antecedents in American literature, not Dominican literature.

(Not to mention, some Dominicans do not wish to be identified with the ultras back home who persecute Haitian minorities; and in some cities, like Boston, they live next door to each in a mirror of their home island).