“Extraordinary.” –Stephen King “This book is not simply the great American novel; it’s the great novel of las Americas. It’s the great world novel! This is the international story of our times. Masterful.” –Sandra Cisneros También de este lado hay sueños. On this side, too, there are dreams. Lydia Quixano Pérez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca, … Quixano Pérez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while there are cracks beginning to show in Acapulco because of the drug cartels, her life is, by and large, fairly comfortable.
Even though she knows they’ll never sell, Lydia stocks some of her all-time favorite books in her store. And then one day a man enters the shop to browse and comes up to the register with a few books he would like to buy–two of them her favorites. Javier is erudite. He is charming. And, unbeknownst to Lydia, he is the jefe of the newest drug cartel that has gruesomely taken over the city. When Lydia’s husband’s tell-all profile of Javier is published, none of their lives will ever be the same.
Forced to flee, Lydia and eight-year-old Luca soon find themselves miles and worlds away from their comfortable middle-class existence. Instantly transformed into migrants, Lydia and Luca ride la bestia–trains that make their way north toward the United States, which is the only place Javier’s reach doesn’t extend. As they join the countless people trying to reach el norte, Lydia soon sees that everyone is running from something. But what exactly are they running to?
American Dirt will leave readers utterly changed. It is a literary achievement filled with poignancy, drama, and humanity on every page. It is one of the most important books for our times.
Already being hailed as “a Grapes of Wrath for our times” and “a new American classic,” Jeanine Cummins’s American Dirt is a rare exploration into the inner hearts of people willing to sacrifice everything for a glimmer of hope.
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Amazing isn’t a big enough word for American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. It’s the kind of book you can’t book down, can’t stop reading, but also the kind of book you have to put down every once in a while and take a break, because it is so intense, so overwhelming, so affecting.
Lydia and her family have a good life in Acapulco. She’s a bookseller, and one of her customers, Javier, becomes a friend she can discuss books with. But Acapulco is becoming more dangerous each day because of the cartels. And then Lydia and her journalist husband, Sebastián, discover that Javier is the jefe of Los Jardineros, one of the worst Mexican drug cartels. And when Sebastián writes an exposé on Javier, he and the rest Lydia’s family except for she and her eight-year old son, Luca are brutally murdered. Lydia has two choices: stay and be murdered, too or try to escape Acapulco before Javier finds them or travel to el norte, the United States and make a new life for herself and Luca.
And the journey begins. No matter your politics or past experiences, you cannot but find what Lydia, Luca and the other migrants they encounter on the way heartbreaking. I couldn’t relate to any of the events, but I could feel the fear and hopelessness and anxiety and the staggering bravery and determination needed to try to escape this life for a better one.
I was lucky enough to receive an advance audiobook copy of American Dirt from Macmillan Audio. It is read by Yareli Arizmendi, and she is the perfect narrator for this story. Her pace is slow and calm and measured and completely conveys the terror and poignancy and drama. Thanks to Macmillan Audio for giving me the opportunity to experience this wonderful story. All opinions in this review are my own.
A very heartfelt read. This author is very good at building her character’s world and it is reality disguised as fiction.
~I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily reviewed, and all opinions expressed are my own.~
*REVIEW*
I was fortunate to receive an advanced copy of American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins from the fabulous folks at Flatiron in September. I read it before all the controversy really began, and I’m glad for that because I was able to experience the story as simply a story without any preconceived ideas, and I loved it-still do. My review does not address any issues or outside influences, rather, I address the fictional work by the author.
I have, since the first reading, read the book several times in it’s entirety and in pieces. Why? Every time I read this story, it shows me something different and meaningful. I learn something new or see a situation or person in a new light. I’m not an immigrant. I’m a white woman, and I’ve learned so much from the story. Yes, I know it’s fiction, but the truth of many things are still in there.
“If it’s possible for you to turn back, do so now….If there is any other place for you to go….go there now….This path is only for people who have no choice, no other option, only violence and misery behind you…Everything is working against you…Many will die. Many, many of you will be kidnapped, tortured, trafficked or ransomed…Every single one of you will be robbed…Only one out of three will make it to your destination alive.”
Lydia and Luca have an experience that is overall exaggerated, but there is a purpose for this. The story shows the worst of the worst tragedy for Lydia. Their journey is the can’t believe they made it lucky at every turn variety, and that’s okay. I see it like a what if scenario. What if this lucky break actually happened? What if a person did survive this scenario? Then what? Like any good story should, it presents questions. It’s overdone to capture the reader’s attention, and I was totally captivated and amazed at the power of words on nearly every page. There is something indefinable about Jeanine Cummins writing that takes the unexplainable and the profound and gives accurate lyrical perfect voice to these feelings. The story is absolutely tragic but beautiful to read with smooth flowing words like music to the ears.
“She put it away from her because Soledad had been through enough to know that she’s at her limit, that she can go no further into that anguish without vanishing forever.”
Let’s talk about the characters-flawed, selfless, authentic, smart, and stronger than you can imagine. Lydia survives for her son and because she is terrified. Terror is a propelling force. Luca sort of retreats into his own little bubble, and that’s probably best for now. I’m not sure an eight year old is capable of processing this kind of loss.Soledad is concerned only for the safety of her younger sister, Rebecca. She doesn’t want Rebecca to ever experience the horrors that she, unfortunately, has. Rebecca is slightly more care free, but naivety is not a virtue that remains intact on a journey like this. These sisters are determined to stay together. Lydia, Luca, Soledad and Rebecca are strangers who form a connection.
“It’s the bond of trauma, the bond of sharing an indescribable experience together. Whatever happens, no one else in their lives will ever fully comprehend the ordeal of this pilgrimage, the characters they’ve met, the fear that travels with them, the grief and fatigue that eat at them. Their collective determination to keep pressing north. It solders them together so they feel like an almost-family now.”
I’ll admit, before American Dirt, I never gave much thought to why any person would choose to chance crossing the border into the United States. This story changed my perspective on that, as well as the immediate dangers immigrants face during the whole of any journey. It’s eye opening and thought provoking to say the least, and that’s a positive no matter if it’s true or not. I am appalled by the treatment of beautiful young girls, but I’m also compelled to learn more. This is the case for numerous issues.
“All her life she’s pitied those poor people. She’s donated money. She’s wondered with the sort of detached fascination of the comfortable elite, how dire the conditions of their lives must be wherever they come from, that this is the better option. That these people would leave their homes, their cultures, their families, even their languages, and venture into tremendous peril, risking their very lives, all for the chance to get to the dream of some faraway country that doesn’t even want them. ”
From the first sentence, this story is sharp and biting. It begins in shocking fashion, and, basically, continues that way. There are so many little things that hit like a punch to the chest. I was moved, inspired, heartbroken, hopeful, angry and on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. American Dirt is unforgettable and simply astonishing. I hope you will read and appreciate this story for its merits as a book. You will not regret it!
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
This is a story that is taken straight out of today’s headlines. The dream of “American Dirt” and all that it represents. This book really rang true for me. It was not political.
This is a story of an immigrant. Lydia and her son, Luca, plan to go north – USA. It is the story of the people they discover along the way. Everyone has their own story, their own reason for abandoning their entire life for the hope of what is on the other side of the “fence” or “wall”.
We are quick to judge without knowing the whole story. Each individual story is different. Most are tragic. The author simply allows us to follow Lydia and Luca on their journey. It is not the same for everyone. But everyone has a story to tell.
This is a very powerful, thought provoking book. I highly recommend it.
Thank you to the publisher and author for providing me with an Advance Reading Copy.
4.5 stars
I will admit that what initially drew me to American Dirt was the beautiful cover. It made me wonder what story was inside. From the very first chapter I was riveted by the characters and compelling storyline. My heart was racing and many times I found myself holding my breath waiting for the other shoe to drop. I was lucky enough to receive both an audiobook listening copy and reader copy of this book, so I was able to completely immerse myself in Lydia and Luca’s journey. My heart broke over and over again, as each character in the story recounted their tragic pasts and also endured unimaginable heartaches and setbacks throughout the novel. Through every hardship though, there was a glimmer of hope. There were so many amazing secondary characters, but Soledad and Rebeca’s story was especially poignant. It was brought so vividly to life by Yareli Arizmendi’s outstanding narration. She was able to voice each character uniquely (male or female, young or old) and conveyed so much emotion in her performance.
The writing was engaging and the story was well paced overall. I did find that the ending felt a little too drawn out, however, and that some of the concluding events felt too in your face/over the top at trying to illustrate the dangers facing migrants. There has been some controversy regarding this not being an own voices novel, but I found American Dirt to be a gripping piece of fiction. Overall, this was a heart pounding page turner that I won’t soon forget.
Audiobook Review
Overall 4.5 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 4.5 stars
*I voluntarily read and listened to an advance copy of this book. Many thanks to Libro.fm and Macmillan Audio*
There is so much painful irony embedded in the idea that the borders of wealthy Western nations are under siege from illegal migration.
For Australia and the United States in particular, the ironies abound. Both nations were taken forcefully from their indigenous inhabitants, and both have become expert at ignoring the roles they play in creating the so-called migration crisis looming at their borders.
From the comfort and safety of most Australian suburbs, random acts of mass killing are so far removed from everyday experience that it’s impossible to imagine such an abomination being visited upon your family as anything other an act of random chaos.
Try to imagine a world in which such violence is a weekly occurrence. Now imagine the police are no help to you — because they are corrupt and on the payroll of the murderers.
Thus starts Jeanine Cummins’ gut-punching novel American Dirt, a book that puts names and faces to people so often demonized by Western political leaders as queue jumpers and ravenous hoards, but who all too often are desperate people running from the gravest of atrocities.
This is a book that poses a question too few of us dare ask ourselves: are we really civilized nations who turn our backs on such people?
American Dirt stares long and hard at the horror of Mexican drug cartels and the ways in which their power and money subverts law and decency, leaving no-one safe or beyond their reach.
It seeks to light a flame inside a moral vacuum, because such horrors are not external to us; they are bought and paid for by us.
The drug cartels are our creations. The money that spawns rivers of blood and turns young boys into murderous rapists is ours too. No arbitrary line in the sand absolves us of that responsibility.
There is so much pain in this novel, but there is also great hope and love and there are remarkable acts of kindness. It affirms that treasures such as these may long remain in greater abundance beyond our borders.
American Dirt is a powerful accomplishment.
This was the most engrossing book I’ve read in years. American Dirt is compared to the Grapes of Wrath, destined to become a classic. Regardless of your political persuasions this is a must-read book. It certainly made me re-think a few of my hardline attitudes about immigration.
I was fortunate to read an Advance Reader Copy of American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins last November. I immediately pre-ordered my own copy. It is an amazing novel that knocked my socks off. The first page starts off with a literal bang and every page thereafter is so full of tension that it was almost a one-night book. When it came out in January, I was beyond shocked to see the protests of some Latino writers, followed by retractions of some of the early reviewers who had praised American Dirt before its official release. Accusing Cummins of not suffering the real immigrant experience. Good grief, do writers have to kill someone to write a murder story? That’s what research is for. It seemed more like professional jealousy than protesting authenticity.
Lydia Quixano Pérez runs a bookstore in Acapulco, Mexico, where she lives with her husband, Sebastián, a journalist who had taken on the drug cartels, and their seven-year-old son, Luca. When a man starts visiting her store, buying books and striking up a friendship, she has no idea initially that he will be responsible for turning her life upside down. A Sunday afternoon birthday barbeque, in honor of her teenage niece at her mother’s home, ends in a slaughter of her entire family. Lydia hears the commotion, and peeks out the window, then hides in the shower with Luca when the killers come inside the house to make sure they got everyone. That happens on the first few pages of the novel. Unable to access her accounts for fear of being found by the cartel, Lydia falls from solid middle class to forlorn poverty in one day. Book loving Luca is a geography savant and his knowledge proves to be a major asset in their quest for survival.
The story is gut wrenchingly sad at times. Lydia and Luca have to flee Acapulco, setting them on a journey they will share with an array of desperate, eclectic, determined, secretive, some kindhearted and a few unsavory characters. Tension drips from very single page, from the colossal opening chapter to the epilogue, American Dirt is a shocking novel of beautiful prose, well-developed characters, page-turning pacing, and empathetic suspense. This novel is well deserving of all of its initial pre-publishing praise.
Stephen King said, “An extraordinary piece of work. A perfect balancing act with terror on one side and love on the other. The prose is immaculate and the story never lets up….”
This is literally one of the best books I’ve ever read. There is no doubt this book will be a NY Times Bestseller and on many “Book of the Year” list. This story centers around Lydia and her son Luca, who survive a massacre at her mother’s house, that takes out her whole family. On the run from the cartel, Lydia has to find a way to get herself, and Luca out of Mexico and into the United States where she feels they can be safe. Lydia has to use all the mental and physical strength she has to make the long journey and even has to pull strength out of herself she never knew she had to save herself and Luca. Along the journey they meet others who are also running for a better life. Bonds are formed, and Lydia finds her little boy is much stronger than she ever knew. This story touches on the HELL migrants go through trying to get into America, and clearly shows their desperation to take the chances that they do. In real life, many don’t survive the trek to get to the border, and this book shows just how hard it is, and just how easy it is to die just trying to cross the border. This story has love, fear, determination, violence, death and triumph. You will not want to put it down, and you will keep thinking of the characters long after you have finished.
Thank you so much Flat Iron Books for this advanced copy. I can’t wait to tell everyone I know to read this book!
In today’s political climate, this novel could not be more appropriate, in order to put faces on those migrants that we see on the news every night, as their children are ripped out of their arms and sent to internment camps. This is an in depth account of the tragedies that prompt their perilous journeys, across thousands of miles of desert and mountain ranges, to reach a better life.
This is the story of Lydia and her small son Luca, the survivors of a brutal killing of her entire family, by a violent Mexican cartel. It’s about the danger, the brutal conditions, the violent people that they must endure, on their way to a better life. It’s also about the friendships and relationships that they make along the way, as they share the little that they have with strangers, while reluctant to trust them. They maybe the enemy.
This story will hopefully encourage us to look at their faces and see where we all started from. Just people, trying to find a better life and fulfill their dreams.
Definitely the best book that I have read this year. I wish I could give it more than five stars.
My thanks to #FlatIronBooks #JeanineCummins for the Arc of #AmericanDirt
All opinions are my own.
American Dirt grabbed me from the very beginning with the powerfully brutal description of Lydia and her young son, Luca, hiding in a bathtub to escape a massacre by a drug cartel. The story that follows is a heartbreaking account of one mother’s struggle to find safety and so very relevant in today’s political climate. If you read one book in 2020, read this one!! This is a must read for everyone!