American Dirt: February Book Club

Like many others, this is not a book I would have chosen normally, but I'm glad I have had the opportunity to read it.
Unusually, I feel all the "hype" on the covers is true!
I have suggested my husband might also read it.
I found it very well written. A gripping page turner, and deeply harrowing.
I suppose my question to Ms Cummins would be, how many migrants were interviewed during research, and was that how she learned about the sisters preferred method of boarding La Bestia?

I finished this book last night. It was a page turner for me, and I really wanted to know how the story was going to unfold.
Yes, it's a work of fiction, and as such, I think some things have been sanitised a little, but the message to me was of the difficulties, fear and hardships many migrants face when trying to escape an impossible life for a better, safer one.

I'm sure there are works out there that go into the horrors and realities of living under the dictat of cartels, corruption and poverty more deeply, written by Mexicans and South Americans who have more experience of what it is really like. However, that does not alter the fact that I thought this book was well written and drew me in. I wanted to keep turning those pages to find out what was going to happen next.

I would like to ask Ms Cummings if she plans a follow up to this story now that the migrants are in El Norte as I am sure there is much more to tell - will they be able stay or will they be forced back, particularly as the present US government appears to have an anti Mexican and South American stance and want to build a wall all along the border to keep them out?

Well I’ve just finished this and I second others comments this wouldn’t of been a book I would of particularly picked. It was heart wrenching and gripping. I have passed this on to my sister today and will be happy to pass her comments on also.

Thank you so much for my copy of 'American Dirt'.
I have NOT read any of the comments on this thread before I leave my own. I don't want to be influenced by anything else anyone has said until I get my own thoughts down !
Well,I was completely blown away by the book.I would never have chosen it because of the subject matter, but now I can see how wrong that would have been. I would recommend it to anyone.It had me rooting for all the characters along the way and it was also making me want to shout 'Don't trust that person'
Jeanine, you said you wanted to open people's eyes to the humanity of migrants and their individual stories, well I can honestly say you have achieved your goal with this book.I read deep into the night, and then went to sleep worrying about Lydia, Luca and their fellow travellers !
I would like to ask you Jeanine: I know you were motivated partly by DNA and partly by horrific circumastances which happened to your family, for which I offer heartfelt condolence, but I have to ask, although you live in USA, were you not a little worried about stirring up trouble for yourself by telling the story, I know it's fiction but it's obviously uncomfortable near the truth. Did you ever feel scared doing your research and interviews in Mexico ?

This was a brave story telling, and I can fully understand why it has been optioned for a film. Thank you so much for enlightening me.

Like other posters here, I would not have chosen this book for myself. I found it hard going, not because it was badly written - it was an easy read from that aspect - but because it opened my eyes to a world I had never considered before. The lives of these fleeing migrants, although fiction, haunt me, as a woman, because there are hundreds, probably thousands of migrants like Soledad and Rebecca out there in the world, who not only have to face the horrors of exhaustion and starvation as they make their journey, but the added horror of molestation and rape. This book made me face up to the fact that migrants are all individuals with their own hopes and fears which are exactly like our own and not just a faceless crowd.
This book makes you both want to turn the page and not want to turn the page for fear of what new horror Lydia and her friends will have to face next.
I would like to ask Jeanine - and I know this is probably impossible to answer - does she see any possible way in which the United States and the rest of the world (because this concerns us all ) could begin to address the problems endemic in South America.

Just finished the book, like others have mentioned I may have not chosen this book in a book store but what a book to read, thoroughly enjoyed the book. It certainly opened my eyes to the dangerous journey and had many emotional thoughts. I would like to know if there will be a follow up book regarding how the characters continue daily life whilst undocumented. Thanks again for the book

I have rarely enjoyed a book so much. I use the word 'enjoy' with reservation. Yes, it was totally unputdownable and it was a little like watching a horror movie behind my hands. I rooted for everyone, whatever their circumstances. They became who they were because of what their lives were and how things panned out for them some were stronger than others...
Like most of the others commenting here, I doubt very much that I would have bought/borrowed this book. Have in said that, I would heartily recommend it.
Again, it would be fantastic if there was a follow up, letting us know how they all fared in El Norte.

What a eye opener it made me think what migrants do in order to escape and continue to do even though they are probably aware of all the horrible things they could experience on the journey eg rape .
I would like to ask the author is she concerned about how many people on this forum would have not normally buy this book and is there anything she would change eg cover .

Am so jealous of those of you who haven’t read it yet, you have a corker of a read ahead of you!!

Excellent book, well written, unputdownable, a real page turner. So glad you sent it to me, I doubt I would have read it otherwise.

I found “American Dirt” a compelling read. For me, it was informative and harrowing in equal measure. The story follows Lydia and her young son Luca as they flee from their settled, everyday life in Acapulco towards an unknown future in El Norte. They are by no means the only Mexicans making the perilous, illegal journey across the Mexico-US Border and, together with many others, they face numerous challenges on a daily basis - hunger, thirst, cold, danger and frequent threats to life.

Lydia and Luca are fleeing from the boss of a major drug cartel in Acapulco. His shadow haunts them throughout their journey. They are always vigilant and wary of all strangers and, indeed, wary of some of the ‘friends’ they make along the way.

Lydia and Luca are well portrayed in the story. Lydia’s strength of character shines through and her determination to secure a future for herself and her son is unquestionable. Luca, although only eight years old, displays a maturity well beyond his years. Although this is a work of fiction, for me, the portrayals of all characters and their experiences on the journey are believable and realistic.

The only thread of the storyline (no spoilers) I found ‘odd’ was the use Lydia made of Lorenzo’s mobile phone. This seemed very ill-advised. So, my question for Jeanine is why did she put this telephone conversation into the storyline? Is it possibly a ‘hook’ on which to hang a follow-up novel? A sequel would be much welcomed!

An extremely gripping book full of excitement and cliff hangers. Telling the story of a mother and son who become migrants through very desperate circumstances. Their calm and happy lives are torn away from them and the only answer is to escape to the North.
The book details their hazardous journey on the top of trains and a walking through miles of desert. The characters are well written and I was moved to tears several times. The tangible fear of the gangs, immigration officials and other migrants make this a book with a very strong message. It gives a face to the people, who risk their lives every day crossing the border to the North.
Since I’ve read this book I have read controversial reviews (on other web sites) which accuse the author of racism simply because she isn’t an immigrant. She researched the book for four years and sought opinions on her right to write the book. As someone said “anything that shines a light on the plight of these immigrants can’t be bad!”
I would like to ask Jeanine whether the title refers to the American soil that they are trying to reach or if it’s a derogatory term used by people for the immigrants?

Finally got my hands on a copy, just started it, haven't read the thread because I don't want any spoilers, but will return here when I've read it.

I’ve just finished reading American Dirt. This is a book that will stay with me for a very long time. There were several occasions when I actually shouted in horror at what Lydia, her young son Luca and the teenage Soledad and Rebeca are subjected to on their journey north to the United States. On another occasion (their first time jumping onto the roof of a moving train) I felt real fear for them.

This may be a novel, in the sense that the characters in the book are fictitious, but their story is a very real one for many attempting to seek a better life in the US away from fear and danger. Their experience of illegally crossing from Mexico into the US is played out by “real” people every day. Giving migrants a “voice” via this beautifully written and thought provoking book confirms the author’s assertion that:

“Migrants are people. They are people, they are people, they are people.

I imagine that the book will be made into a film. I would like to ask Jeanine Cummins if she will be involved in the production to insure that the story remains true to the book.

Like others on here, this would not have been my book of choice.
I deliberately didn't read anything online about it, despite being aware that there was controversity surrounding it. I wanted to read it without any prior opinions.

What a harrowing book! I had no idea how dangerous life is for some people in Mexico and never really understood until now why migrants would go to such great lengths to get to the USA.

My only knowledge of migrants crossing the desert into the USA was watching documentaries about US border patrols. These programmes do not give a true picture of journeys fraught with danger and what migrants have to endure to get to freedom.

I have to admit that I found the initial meeting between Lydia and Javier a bit far fetched. How did he end up in Lydia's bookshop, without any bodyguards? Surely someone of his notoriety would be well known and his face instantly recognisable.

There were parts I couldn't bear to read, for example when they were trying to board the train and the vulnerability of women travelling on their own. I tried to imagine how it would feel to be Lydia. I couldn't see me being able to attempt that journey, but then again, everything they did was out of sheer desperation and a desire to escape Javier.

I learned about migrant stations, which I didn't know existed, but couldn't quite figure out why they were allowed to function without intervention by the authorities.
In this country, no-one would be able to ride on the roof of a train, without being removed. Did the authorities actually want the migrants to succeed.
It was a totally different culture to what I had imagined.

I thought the ending was a bit weak. How did Lydia manage to get accomodation or get a job with no money or papers?
Or have I missed something.

It would great to see Jeanine Cummins writing a sequel,
focussing on all the protaganists and what the future holds for them.
Does Javier eventually track them down?

I can't say I enjoyed the novel in the way I would normally enjoy a crime novel, but it was a very interesting and enthralling read.

I can only reiterate what most other reviews have said about this harrowing story. I was very moved by the book, and because I have an eight year-old grandson, felt very drawn to Luca. Kept thinking how hard it would be for him to erase the awful memories from his mind and get on with his new life north of the border.
My question to the author is how did she address all the (undeserved) controversy relating to the book?

Thanks for my copy of this book. Like others, I have found this compelling and a subject so far I’ve mainly learned about by news reports. While reading it I’ve picked up on some of the controversy that has been gathering; I just hope that by writing this book, Jeanine Cummins has helped to ease the door for others to get their stories heard.

My question is that the end of the book did come very quickly after the level of detail leading up to the desert crossing, almost too neatly. Was this because the author was focussed on ‘getting the party there’? I’d have liked some more detail on how they got to stay.

I agree, Mythbirtthedragon, after a very complex narrative, I felt the ending was very weak. It was as if the author just wanted it finished.

My copy of this book arrived just as I was seeking some light relief to read and I wondered if I would find this book too daunting and yet from the very first page I knew I was going to read and find out how the story unfolded. Every chapter ended with a hook to keep you reading and Lydia and Luca had you rooting for them to succeed from the start.

It was very easy to relate to their emotions, too, and to hold your breath as they took major risks or seemed about to take a wrong step.

Jeanine has put faces to horrific statistics and as such made us face the horrors of man's inhumanity to man in much the same way as the story of an individual soldier can bring the horror of war to those who have never experienced it for themselves. Having read her author's statement it would seem, that for me at least, she has achieved her aim.

The story and the setting seem so far removed from the author biography provided that it made me wonder what initially sparked the idea to write a novel on the subject and that would be my question for Jeanine.

I thoroughly enjoyed American Dirt. A fantastic read. I did find parts of the book very harrowing, but then I really expected it. The characters, particularly Lydia and Luca very very real.Lydias devotion to Luca was heartbreaking, and I feel that her love for him was the reason they survived their horrendous journey,
I wonder if Janine Cummins will write a second book to let us devotees know of the fate of Lydia and Luca, yes it ended abruptly, but I personally can imagine my own further story!
Thank you so much again for writing American Dirt, it certainly widened my understanding of a terrible situation .

Halfway through, it's cracking along, reading with my heart in my mouth a lot of the time. I'm not going to read everyone else's comments here until I've finished, but thus far a very, very good read.

Thank you for this book. I’ve just finished it, at times a disturbing read which made me think of the plight of migrants, and displaced people. I intend to read more on this topic. The book certainly has an impact, not sure if I would enjoy it being made into a film.

Just finished it, thank you so much, can't wait to post a review

Thank you so much for this wonderful book. I don't think it is one I would have chosen, which now makes me question my usual choices because I am so glad I have read this. It was harrowing and life-affirming in equal measure, a story that drew me in from page one, and continued to keep me enthralled throughout.

It is rare to come across a book that is both a fast paced page-turner and also so beautifully written with such lyrical prose which made me want to slow it down, so that I could savour the writing.

I shall be on the lookout for the sequel!

An incredible, powerful story of this brutal age that we live in. Even though it is a work of fiction, the story will stay with me for a long time and I am urging others to read this tough but so very important book.
Congratulations to Jeanine Cummins for this tremendously impressive novel.