American Dirt (Oprah's Book Club)

This book had been recommended many times and also appears in lots of lists but I hadn't picked it up until now - so I started with high expectations. There are 454 pages, split into 36 numbered chapters and the book was first published in 2020. It's easy to read a book set in a familiar world but this is far away from my normal comfort zone so I was delighted that I engaged with the plot straight away. There is a dramatic mass murder scene unfolding around a mother trying to protect her son. Excitement levels stay high as the reader begins to understand Lydia's anxieties for her life and that of her son. It's a tough story to read as we see Lydia fighting to escape. The journey is dangerous at every stage with high level of detail giving some idea about the experience of a migrant - fleeing their home, feeling they could die at any time and unsure where they are heading (or how they will get there). Lydia and Luca make progress and the reader is slipped back into time to give back story, along with an understanding of the "normal" life in Mexico. Something about the writing allows the book to be accessible for many readers without softening the migrant journey. The author could have been harder with the story telling but that would alienate many readers and I think her approach is good. I found the emotions behind the journey deeply effecting as it made me consider the number of people having to make similarly risky journeys all over the world. Of course, some people are running for criminal reasons but innocent people should not be forced to take such risks (but thankful for the accident that allowed you to be born in a safe place!). The reasons behind migration will be in the minds of all readers. There are frequent short phrases in Spanish which are not always explained, even though the meaning can usually be established by the context. This all helps to make the story authentic. I read this book very quickly as I wanted to know what happened to these two. There have been many amazing reviews of this book and I can see why - particularly in the US where the migrant journey from Mexico is such a hot topic. I felt every step with this mother and her son, astonished by the physical effort alongside their mental fortitude.

Fantastic book, beautiful writing and one that everyone should read.

This was an enjoyable read overall, packed with adventure from the very first page. The story was full of drama, pain, and blood. That said, it was also quite predictable, with the characters essentially trying to get from point A to point B, encountering adventure along the way. The main issue I had with the book was the protagonist. She lacked emotional depth and, at times, empathy, which made it hard for me to connect with her. Yes, she cared about her son, but that was about it. Additionally, the two children—one 8 and the other 10—often behaved more like 35-year-olds, which felt a bit off-putting. Lastly, I’m not a fan of epilogues. I’m giving this a generous 4 stars because it was an easy read.

A tale of migration from a Mexico overrun by cartels to the dream of safety in the USA, this book was an emotional read. Powerful, engaging, a couldn’t-put-it-down read from the first pages… I cried, cheered, and just willed Lydia and Luca along their journey, hoping they would escape their persecutors. It is not an easy read. It is uncomfortable and necessarily so. It may, I hope it does, challenge your internal compass, your beliefs, your understanding of the migrant stories portrayed to us by public bodies and mainstream media. Although this book is a work of fiction, I can see it is not that an unlikely story.

People suffer. Some more than most. This book is breathtaking and makes you hold your breath almost to the last page. Hope is held close then held at a distance, then close again. But you are compelled to travel this desperate road with them, and that is the least they, and all who have suffered similarly, deserve. This epic journey of loss, grief, fear and hope is expertly written - it is edge of your seat action, easy to read, with deeply moving moments woven cleverly into the story and described in just the right amount of detail that you feel you understand even though you would not wish this experience on anyone. The characters are fully relatable, even if this is so far from your experience -hope, joy and loss are a shared experience you can't help but understand. The story is exciting, revealing, and deals with a range of traumas, but does not usually cross the line with unnecessary descriptions as I imagine could have been tempting to do. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys action, emotion, a well written plot and great characters. (Warning: does contain deaths and attacks on women, but they are not the main focus of the story).

This is one of the finest books I've ever read. Cummins cleverly turns the 'rapists, pillagers, and terrorists' who invade America every day into real people who have heartbreaking stories to share with us. If only we could work out how to separate the Lydias and Luca's of the world from the Lorenzo's, they would help to make America truly great again. The spirit of America often is what it is because we are the children of those who dared to set off in shoddy wooden ships to come to a lawless continent in search of a dream. If only more teenagers could read books like this in their schools.

Incredibly well written work of fiction. I was completely absorbed.

I really loved it. It was such a pleasant surprise. It has so many elements: a bit of Mexico, a bit of the US, thriller and an engaging story to bring life to this difficult journey!

Es un libro estrujante. La narrativa es muy cruda, tal que te hace sentir que estás en la escena. Vivimos en nuestra burbuja de trabajo honesto, y nos enteramos del drama universal de la migración ilegal, como una noticia rutinaria, sin conocer las tragedias personales que están sucediendo a cada minuto, sin que haya una posible solución a la vista. Los países productores de migrantes se benefician echando el problema a otros, mientras ellos no hacen nada, y sigue la corrupción generando cada vez más migración ilegal. Es un problema que debiera revisarse a fondo como prioridad universal en el seno de la ONU.

The best book I have read this year.

Absolutely loved the story and the characters. my perspective about immigrants and kindness in the world changed after reading this

Ignore the negative reviews and read this book. I laugh at these 1-star reviewers who have a track-record of giving 5-star ratings to books no self-respecting person would acknowledge reading. Shame on them for dragging a successful author with a powerful pen. American Dirt has the most gripping opening chapter I have read in a very, very long time. The prose is perfect and there will be no qualms from even the pickiest reader about a writing style that distracts from the plot. The negative press made me think this was some Hollywoodized sensational narrative. It isn’t. The story is believable. Just because an experience is foreign and beyond your realm of the possible, it doesn’t mean it isn’t experienced by real human beings beyond your neighbourhood. As an immigrant myself, the drive to survive and the primordial value of life that permeates the narrative is something I deeply connected with and found impressively evoked in every page. As an avid reader of literature, I am very careful when selecting contemporary novels for fear they won’t measure up to the classics. I am glad I trusted the recommendations for this one. This book will stay with me for the rest of my life. Finally, don’t be surprised if this story sparks a current of activism in you. As we sit here browsing on Amazon, there are millions of humans worldwide going through unspeakable trials for a better life here on earth.