American Dirt
- Downloads：1939
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-02-27 16:58:09
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jeanine Cummins
- ISBN：1472261402
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Summary
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， 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？
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， 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？
Reviews
Cami Woytek
，
I found this book riveting， heartbreaking， thought provoking， & hard to put down。 The characters are built up well， so you get to know them。 The story is gut wrenching， and the author often balances between being humane & barbarous， & she does so brilliantly & with careful consideration for the stories & lives of the migrants。 Having grown up only a few miles from the Mexican border， this story hit differently for me。 Even though it’s fiction， I could easily imagine so many parts to be true for I found this book riveting， heartbreaking， thought provoking， & hard to put down。 The characters are built up well， so you get to know them。 The story is gut wrenching， and the author often balances between being humane & barbarous， & she does so brilliantly & with careful consideration for the stories & lives of the migrants。 Having grown up only a few miles from the Mexican border， this story hit differently for me。 Even though it’s fiction， I could easily imagine so many parts to be true for the many people I met who were coming across the border。 This is one I’m glad to have read。 。。。more
Sylvia Gregory
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This book is excellent。 It isn’t easy， and it isn’t fun。 But it’s excellent。
Ileah
，
This book started strong for me。 The weight of the opening traumatic event was portrayed beautifully， and I loved the glimpses into her old life throughout the story。 I quite enjoyed the author's writing style。 However， the plot quickly began to feel more like trauma porn than anything else。 The story and the characters did not always feel authentic as much as just a means for a message - migrants endure the unthinkable。 Is this an important message？ Yes。 But it's a message that would be more me This book started strong for me。 The weight of the opening traumatic event was portrayed beautifully， and I loved the glimpses into her old life throughout the story。 I quite enjoyed the author's writing style。 However， the plot quickly began to feel more like trauma porn than anything else。 The story and the characters did not always feel authentic as much as just a means for a message - migrants endure the unthinkable。 Is this an important message？ Yes。 But it's a message that would be more meaningful coming from someone who had actually experienced it。 。。。more
Adam Cruz
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This book gave me an appreciation of desire and detriment。 Voices come in many colors。
Jodi Simpkins
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Loved this。 Heart-wrenching and page turning。
Chichi Nwankwo
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Kept me entertained， but many parts did not seem realistic。 The ending all happened too fast too。。。
Martha Liano
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An unimaginable storyThe author takes you on a journey that makes you feel you were there taking it。 Very descriptive and emotional。 Excellent read
Mike Melley
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Without a doubt a page turner。 At times it feels cliche， but maybe it’s closer to the truth than I can imagine。 Ultimately it’s a reminder that all is not black and white， and it will stand as a testimonial to dogged human determination。
Kyla Patek
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I loved and hated this book。 The writing is excellent but the story is heart wrenching， sickening and feels worryingly real。
Summer
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I think every American should read an immigrant story at least once。 How else can we truly judge what best to do with those who come so desperately to our borders？ This book accomplishes the task of humanizing immigrants and bringing the violence and crime faced by many in other countries into the spotlight。That said， it wasn't brilliant writing。 I didn't care much for Lydia， the main character。 The author narrated in a way that made it difficult for me to connect to any characters， although I d I think every American should read an immigrant story at least once。 How else can we truly judge what best to do with those who come so desperately to our borders？ This book accomplishes the task of humanizing immigrants and bringing the violence and crime faced by many in other countries into the spotlight。That said， it wasn't brilliant writing。 I didn't care much for Lydia， the main character。 The author narrated in a way that made it difficult for me to connect to any characters， although I did feel empathy。 It just didn't pull me in the way a story like this could or should have。 It just felt like the author was writing I through a lense and couldn't quite get her hands on the feelings and experiences she was trying to convey。 。。。more
Kay Hines
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And eye-openerEveryone needs to read this to realize what immigrants go through to flee danger for a safer life。 After reading I have a much deeper understanding and I think this world needs more understanding。
Babs Burr
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Excellent book。 Well written， captivating and a page turner。 Loved the perspective。 That which does not kill us makes us stronger。
Sabrina
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The writing was weird， and it affected the storytelling but the story was worthy
Taryn Christian
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I loved the way the Spanish and Mexican/Central American culture was intertwined throughout the book。 The characters were so well described， carefully representing a population of migrants with similar experiences， and illustrating the hardships vividly。 I think the author helped shed light on migration into the US and the situations individuals have to leave due to corruption of nations。
Iris Dorbian
，
One of the best novels I've read in a long time。 This is a literary tour de force。 A master work and that is no exaggeration。 A powerful， brilliantly written ode to the indomitability of the human spirit in face of unimaginable travail and trauma。 Every sensory detail of the migrant journey that mother and son， Lydia and Luca， make to El Norte after a cartel murders their family， is so evocative， so palpable， you can practically feel， see and even hear them jumping on top of the trains， trudging One of the best novels I've read in a long time。 This is a literary tour de force。 A master work and that is no exaggeration。 A powerful， brilliantly written ode to the indomitability of the human spirit in face of unimaginable travail and trauma。 Every sensory detail of the migrant journey that mother and son， Lydia and Luca， make to El Norte after a cartel murders their family， is so evocative， so palpable， you can practically feel， see and even hear them jumping on top of the trains， trudging through miles of desert， hiding from the migrant police。 If you must read ONE novel this year， then it behooves you to read this one。 A stirring， magnificent achievement， the story has never been timelier nor more important。 Bravo！！ 。。。more
Sheryl
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Lots of controversy - read it as fiction - make up your own mind as to how much truth is in it - do your own research - there are plenty of non-fiction books recommended to tell the 'real' stories。 As fiction it gripped me and horrified me ！！ Lots of controversy - read it as fiction - make up your own mind as to how much truth is in it - do your own research - there are plenty of non-fiction books recommended to tell the 'real' stories。 As fiction it gripped me and horrified me ！！ 。。。more
Lauren Elizabeth Davis
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Apparently， she's received a lot of criticism for being a white author and writing about immigration。。 Americans love to be be offended。 She's a woman， she's shedding light on a huge issue， she still can't catch a break。 Imagine getting blasted for writing a fictional book。 Holy cow。 It reminds me of a Jen Hatmaker quote: "This life is not a race or a contest， there is enough abundance to go around， your seat at the table is secure， and you have incredible gifts to offer。 You are not in competit Apparently， she's received a lot of criticism for being a white author and writing about immigration。。 Americans love to be be offended。 She's a woman， she's shedding light on a huge issue， she still can't catch a break。 Imagine getting blasted for writing a fictional book。 Holy cow。 It reminds me of a Jen Hatmaker quote: "This life is not a race or a contest， there is enough abundance to go around， your seat at the table is secure， and you have incredible gifts to offer。 You are not in competition with your peers。" If someone did a good job say "congratulations" and move on。Anyway， I wasn't a fan on her throwing so many Spanish phrases without translation into the book （while the conversation is supposed to be carried on in Spanish， no less） but other than that， it was a great read。 It was a story that could have easily dragged but didn't。 I'll admit when I first read the summary I wasn't impressed， but following the recommendation of a colleague， I'm glad I read it。 It was researched， it was well written， it was a good book。 Congratulations。 。。。more
Christine Gee
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Such a great book！！！ Would highly recommend！
Adam Dominguez
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Jeanine has an incredible talent to paint vivid imagery with robust vocabulary。 I felt a steady cadence of consistent dialogue followed by descriptive imagery。 This story gave me perspective on the challenges faced by those willing to do anything for the idea of a better life。 It is a long journey with characters coming and going while the protagonists find their way。“On they radio， Lydia heard those walking mothers singing for their children， and she felt a pang of emotion for them。 She tossed Jeanine has an incredible talent to paint vivid imagery with robust vocabulary。 I felt a steady cadence of consistent dialogue followed by descriptive imagery。 This story gave me perspective on the challenges faced by those willing to do anything for the idea of a better life。 It is a long journey with characters coming and going while the protagonists find their way。“On they radio， Lydia heard those walking mothers singing for their children， and she felt a pang of emotion for them。 She tossed hot vegetables into hot oil， and the pan sizzled in response。 That pang Lydia felt had many parts: it was anger at the injustice， it was worry， compassion， helplessness。 But in truth， it was a small feeling， and she realized she was out of garlic， the pang was subsumed by domestic irritation。 Dinner would be bland。” 。。。more
Jackie
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I was unaware of the controversy surrounding this book when I checked it out from the library。 I wish I had known， as it would have allowed me to bail on it mid-read。 Instead， I finished it。This book was stressful for me， and as many others have said in reviews that I have now allowed myself to read， it's got a bit of "trauma-porn" feel to it。 I have no doubt that terrible things happen， and I understand that it's fiction from a writer who has never endured the journey herself。 There are lots of I was unaware of the controversy surrounding this book when I checked it out from the library。 I wish I had known， as it would have allowed me to bail on it mid-read。 Instead， I finished it。This book was stressful for me， and as many others have said in reviews that I have now allowed myself to read， it's got a bit of "trauma-porn" feel to it。 I have no doubt that terrible things happen， and I understand that it's fiction from a writer who has never endured the journey herself。 There are lots of people that write about lots of things they have never experienced， but somehow this one just doesn't sit right with me。I'll think on it some more， and update if I change my mind。 。。。more
Sean Gursky
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Every day a fresh horror， and when it's over， this feeling of surreal detachment。 A disbelief， almost， in what they just endured。A griping tale that shows the plight of citizens fleeing their homes for reasons most of us cannot fathom。 However sensationalized this story may be （or not， Cummins indicated several years of research went in to this book）， the truth is probably a lot darker than the majority of us realize。 This story was a rollercoaster and each chapter had enough climax or tension t Every day a fresh horror， and when it's over， this feeling of surreal detachment。 A disbelief， almost， in what they just endured。A griping tale that shows the plight of citizens fleeing their homes for reasons most of us cannot fathom。 However sensationalized this story may be （or not， Cummins indicated several years of research went in to this book）， the truth is probably a lot darker than the majority of us realize。 This story was a rollercoaster and each chapter had enough climax or tension that I would say "one more" and made faster progress through the book than I expected。。。。he starts to understand that this is the one thing all migrants have in common， this is the solidarity that exists among them， though they all come from different places and different circumstances。。。each of them carries some story of suffering on top of that train and into el norte beyond。I had some problems with how some characters were structured， descriptions of others that became tiresome and even the pacing of their progress。 But this isn't the book that you critique a child or someone in the ensemble cast。 This is a book that opens you up to the real horrors that go out "out there" and any flaws I note are immaterial。 But their lives have been so expansive， their traumas so adult。 They are adult women， and now they're meant to clip themselves into a three-ring binder each day。What this story did was allow me to understand the difficulties migrants face， how they have to weigh losing it all or dying and moving on for promise of a better future。 And what does that future look like on the other side？ How can you start from nothing？ How do the horrors of your past not make you detached and a husk of yourself？ Quote worthy lines from the authors note section at the end:We seldom think of them as our fellow human beings。 So I hoped to present one of those unique personal stories - a work of fiction - as a way to honor the hundreds of thousands of stories we may never get to hear。 。。。more
Joan
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This is a gripping， scary story。 I didn't want to put it down to do other things。 The main characters go through some terrifying times as they embark on a journey， which they have to make to save their lives。 The author Jeanine Cummins， introduces you to the lives of migrants， ordinary people， that you grow to care for， through this fictional story。 I desperately wanted them to be safe and 'home' Highly recommend。 This is a gripping， scary story。 I didn't want to put it down to do other things。 The main characters go through some terrifying times as they embark on a journey， which they have to make to save their lives。 The author Jeanine Cummins， introduces you to the lives of migrants， ordinary people， that you grow to care for， through this fictional story。 I desperately wanted them to be safe and 'home' Highly recommend。 。。。more
Abby Sundeen
，
In all honesty， I didn't think I would enjoy this book to the extent that I did。 This initially started off as assigned reading for a Spanish literature class， but I ended up tearing through about 80% of it in around two weeks （which， for me， is really fast）。I really enjoyed the character development and the descriptions。 As an author， descriptions always seem to be my biggest challenge， and I learned a lot about well-written descriptions from this book。 The imagery is vivid and intense; it real In all honesty， I didn't think I would enjoy this book to the extent that I did。 This initially started off as assigned reading for a Spanish literature class， but I ended up tearing through about 80% of it in around two weeks （which， for me， is really fast）。I really enjoyed the character development and the descriptions。 As an author， descriptions always seem to be my biggest challenge， and I learned a lot about well-written descriptions from this book。 The imagery is vivid and intense; it really does a lovely job of driving home the emotional impact of each moment。 As a writer， this is something that I was in awe of。The character development and dynamics were also strong in this book。 I enjoyed reading about these characters who were fundamentally consistent despite developing in other ways from the things they went through。 Each character was intensely individual in a way that allowed them to interact well with the other members of the cast。 Additionally， everyone was given a proportionate time to shine and have their moment。 I really enjoyed seeing that。However， no book is without its faults。From a technical standpoint， the perspective switches at seemingly random points were jarring。 It wasn't entirely clear whether this book was meant to be written from a third-person limited or omniscient standpoint because it had moments of both。 I would go from reading Lydia's perspective one paragraph to Luca's in the next， in the same chapter。 In the same scene， even。 That threw me off a few times， and I spent more time than I would have liked re-reading certain parts to adjust to these changes。On a larger scale， this story felt kind of。。。 off， in a way I can't quite articulate。 It was certainly off-putting to read an interview in which Cummins， a Spain native and now U。S。 citizens， admits that she herself didn't know that this was her story to tell。 In some parts， this story definitely felt like it wasn't written by someone with the experience that would seemingly be needed to write it。 I don't know how else to put it， other than that it felt kind of。。。 cartoonish， at some points？ Like an exaggeration， or an amalgamation of stereotypes。The read was certainly enjoyable。 It had a strong plot and well-developed characters， as every book should。 If you're able to get past this last part， I would recommend giving it a try。 If not， I honestly can't blame you。 。。。more
Jayson Campeau
，
An excellent journey: physically， emotionally and spiritually。 This realistic account of life shaking trauma and the determination to not be overpowered by the negative forces in one's life was very enjoyable。 Maybe it was the combination or the 'foreign' but between the unknown geography of the land， the beauty of the Spanish language or the ruthlessness of the narco world， I felt that I was somewhere else for the entire novel。 The characters are knowable， complex and original。 The setting is w An excellent journey: physically， emotionally and spiritually。 This realistic account of life shaking trauma and the determination to not be overpowered by the negative forces in one's life was very enjoyable。 Maybe it was the combination or the 'foreign' but between the unknown geography of the land， the beauty of the Spanish language or the ruthlessness of the narco world， I felt that I was somewhere else for the entire novel。 The characters are knowable， complex and original。 The setting is well described。 But the plot is fantastic。 The care and consideration taken to lay out an intricate plot line and to insert just enough detail and action to keep the train moving forward was inspirational。Although the subject is heavy and sad， the way that Jeanine Cummins tackles the themes of family， loyalty， love and trustworthiness are ultimately up lifting。 。。。more
Danielle Doo
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Loved the story loved the way the perspective switched from character to character。 Cried when Beto died。 Loved Lydia and Lucas relationship。Still some questions。。。Do you think Lorenzo stopped hunting Lydia eventually or do you think he just lost signal？ Do you think he went with the intention of following her or was it a coincidence that they were on the same train？What was the significance of the last line？ “She reads love in the time of cholera first in Spanish then in English the book belong Loved the story loved the way the perspective switched from character to character。 Cried when Beto died。 Loved Lydia and Lucas relationship。Still some questions。。。Do you think Lorenzo stopped hunting Lydia eventually or do you think he just lost signal？ Do you think he went with the intention of following her or was it a coincidence that they were on the same train？What was the significance of the last line？ “She reads love in the time of cholera first in Spanish then in English the book belongs to her alone”Do you think Javier is still hunting them or did he resolve to letting them go？ 。。。more
Nancy
，
The first few chapters of this book gave me nightmares。 I couldn't decide if I had it in me to read further or abandon the book。 It was a friend who had recommended it to me so I read on。 I really don't know how it happened but suddenly I couldn't put the book down as I needed to know if they made it safely out of the country。 What a Trip。 I would recommend this book to others who are looking for an adventure。 The first few chapters of this book gave me nightmares。 I couldn't decide if I had it in me to read further or abandon the book。 It was a friend who had recommended it to me so I read on。 I really don't know how it happened but suddenly I couldn't put the book down as I needed to know if they made it safely out of the country。 What a Trip。 I would recommend this book to others who are looking for an adventure。 。。。more
Mya Nearhoof
，
I was hooked and invested from the start。 Lost interest a little more than halfway through。 The end was okay。 If she doesn’t plan to write a sequel， it would’ve been nice to have an epilogue with how they adapted after 5 or 10 years。
Teri Christman
，
A fictional account of the ordeal of a Mexican woman who has to leave behind her life and escape as an undocumented immigrant to the United States with her son。 Very sad and eye-opening！
Robyn Furger
，
Hooked right from the beginning。 Couldn’t put it down。 Hated the ending though， anti climatic。 Couldn’t read at night - too stressful and gave me nightmares。Lauren’s pick
Kaylee Prunty
，
This book was simply amazing。 Powerful， beautifully written， and an absolute page turner。 It was also very intense。 Lots of real world stuff about violence， drugs， rape， PTSD， grief， and more。 It also has a lot of hope though， about the goodness and kindness of people， how there are still helping hands amid the horror of a violent society。 This book really opened my eyes to the situations of people in mexico under the control of drug cartels。 It showed me， in part， what it's really like to be a This book was simply amazing。 Powerful， beautifully written， and an absolute page turner。 It was also very intense。 Lots of real world stuff about violence， drugs， rape， PTSD， grief， and more。 It also has a lot of hope though， about the goodness and kindness of people， how there are still helping hands amid the horror of a violent society。 This book really opened my eyes to the situations of people in mexico under the control of drug cartels。 It showed me， in part， what it's really like to be a mexican immigrant on the road to America。 Overall a fantastic read， but man， definitely not a "before bed" story。 Still， there are very few books in my life that I can say have changed my opinion on something。 This is one of them。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=American Dirt
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=American Dirt&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,American Dirt&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0