American Dirt: February Book Club

I was sent this book to read by gransnet. Although it is well written, the subject matter didn't grab me at all and I only managed to read a few chapters so I don't know how it ends. While I have some empathy for the predicament of the main characters, I am personally very against illegal immigration. Most western countries have, over the centuries, tried to become more democratic and 'civilised', if you like, while some other countries seem to have allowed themselves to be overrun with criminality, corrupt politicians and religious extremists.

If all the 'good' people think it is their right to leave then what happens to these countries they leave behind? Those countries will get progressively worse without their influence, then the least of the 'bad' people left behind will want to go too and so on. All the problems are then taken with them and this will eventually affect the host countries they migrate to. We are seeing this the world over. Change needs to come from within, People cannot continually run away from their difficulties and expect to be taken in by other countries. That is my opinion anyway.

I have hesitated to make a contribution as I felt I was the only one not enjoying this book.I have read 150 pages and I will persevere but I just cannot get into it and will be hard pressed to finish it by the end of February. I cannot empathise with Lydia despite her desperate situation and her son seems to be too good to be true. The book is,however, very well written and the descriptions e.g. getting on to La Bestia are powerful.
Probably this is just not my preferred genre.

I received the book from Gransnet. I felt reluctant to read it to begin with as I didn’t want to be fed a political stance to immigrants trying to cross the border into the USA, because the title American Dirt seemed to indicate that. Perhaps American Soil would have been better?
Finally started reading and became engaged with the believable characters, the reasons they were embarking on the journey and hoped for a successful arrival for them. I read quickly and easily as descriptions of what they were experiencing kept me immersed in the story. I did enjoy it as for me it was about the behaviour of human beings towards one another.
My question to Jeanine is, none of the characters expressed their pride in their own Nationality. During the Second World War it was the resistance movement within Europe who fought back against evil. Do you think that if there was a stronger pride in their own country people as a whole would stay and fight back against poor government and criminal organisations.

Before I knew that I would receive a copy of this book, I listened to an interview with the author by Mariella Frostrup on Open Book, and decided on that basis to buy a copy. I then went off on holiday for just over two weeks, and returned to find American Dirt among my mail [Thank you, GN!] I mention the interview here because it was both informative and thought provoking. It’s available on BBC Sounds. The novel is to feature as Book of the Week in April.
During the interview, the author stated that she hoped that readers would have empathy with the migrants, to see them as fellow human beings. It is a testament to her skills in writing and research that this is so fully accomplished. It’s been a long time since I read a novel that made me feel so emotionally invested in its key characters - Lydia and Luca, Soledad and Rebeca. Gripping from beginning to end, the almost heart stopping fear and brutality of some events are juxtaposed with the kindnesses that the migrants encounter on parts of their journey. I found it difficult to put down and read it over two days and well into the night, where it went on to inhabit my dreams.
Above all, it’s the authenticity of this novel that will stay with me. That and the imagery: e.g. of ‘your body as a cuerpomatico’; removing their dilapidated footwear ‘con un olor a queso’; and even the odd flash of anti Trump humour, referring to his mispronunciation off ‘bad hombres’ as ‘bad hambres’.
In addition to its qualities as a novel, American Dirt is a well researched exposé of the plight of migrants and the enormous hurdles they must overcome. The ‘Author’s Note’ at the end presents statistics on the annual numbers of migrant deaths, noting that “the available statistics are likely only a fraction of the real number of deaths, given that they exclude the many migrants who simply disappear each year”.
My question for the author: Given the nature of Trump’s America, did you ever waiver in your decision to publish this book or regret doing so? And have you or your family felt personally at risk as a result?

I always think the measure of a good book are the ones that stay with you long after you've long put them down. I read quite a lot, most books, enjoyable in the moment, soon to be forgotten. American Dirt certainly wasn't one of those for me. Lydia's uphill struggle to protect her child and the insurmountable battle to the relative safety of "El Norte" is indeed heart stopping and the bond she forms with Soledad and Rebeca along the way are written to great effect.

I went Mexico over 15 years ago and was bowled over by it, we visited some of the ancient Mayan sites and eco parks where the flora and fauna and marine life are in abundance, the country is beautiful and the people we met were welcoming. It's been alarming to read year on year how the vice like grip of the cartels has escalated and the violence is endemic, in that the book is highly believable. Can't help wondering why little Costa Rica is such an oasis of peace and calm, when the countries that surround it all appear to be immersed in the evils of drug cartels, femicide and other horrors that pertain to such a dark underbelly of the criminal world. My question to Jeanine Cummins, because clearly, from her notes at the end of the books she has researched the subject in detail, would be just that, why, in her opinion is there this one country where seemingly the tentacles of the drug cartels hasn't reached. It is a tourist destination, but then again so is Mexico. I've also read that Columbia has managed to turn a corner and it's not such a dangerous place anymore. What would it take for Mexico and the rest of central America to do the same. It just seems that their governments cannot get a handle on the cartels they are too powerful and far reaching and everyone, literally everyone is in their pockets. How tragic to lose so many of it's citizens to murder and so many more in fear of their lives, like Lydia and her son the only option left open to them is to undertake such a journey and overcome umpteen dangerous and almost impossible obstacles to reach relative safety, if they ever do, and then have to live a life under the radar in constant fear of deportation.

Wonderful book, I'm passing it my husband now I'm sure he will enjoy it too. As I was reading, I was thinking "this is quite filmic, I can see a movie coming down the line"

Best read since "The Heart's Invisible Furies" that's a high bar for me.

Wow,this isn't my usual type of book, but from the first line, I was hooked, .
American Dirt, is one of the most heart stopping books I've read for a long time.
It brings up the question "How far would you go, to keep your family safe" Could you leap into moving train? We are all have our views of immigration , but we don't know the reason why people leave their countries,. After reading this ,maybe your views will change , it will make you think. It's an important book, one that everyone should read Thank you so much for my copy.

Thanks for the book. I was not sure whether I wanted to read it, but found it a very moving and compulsive read. Lydia is a normal woman in Mexico, with a job in a book shop and family. Her life falls apart and she has to flee the country with her young son to avoid violence and potential death.
The story charts her flight from Mexico to the USA, with the problems she faces - each of which could have been the end of her story. Along the way, she faces hardship but also experiences kindness and friendship.
I think the main message of the book is that not all migrants are involved with drugs, or are economic migrants, but are ordinary people who are caught up with circumstances beyond their control.
The book is concerned with Mexicans trying to get into America, but the same applies to other countries e.g. Syrians trying to get into Europe. Even great Britain is now involved with anti immigrant, xenophobic rhetoric. Behind each single individual there is a story, as with Lydia, and not always happy endings.. People die, people disappear and nobody cares. More people should read this book.
I would have liked to know what happened to Lydia and her son. Were they accepted, or did they have to contend with hostility after all the effort of escaping. Does the author intend to extend the story?

Thanks for my copy of American Dirt, I've not come across Jeanine Cummins before. The story was thought provoking and stayed with me long after I'd finished reading it. I can't say I enjoyed it though purely because of the subject matter but it was an interesting read and I'll be seeing if my local library has any of Jeanine's previous books.

The sheer quantity of Spanish words and phrases within the book became a distraction and a nuisance as I was trying to translate them, some were easy to decipher however some required googling, thus the book requires a second reading.

Therefore my question is:
Why didn't you include a glossary of Spanish words at the beginning of the book?

My husband is now reading this book, and finding it as compelling and eye opening as I did.

Fantastic read. Book now passed on to my daughter.

Liska

I was delighted to receive a copy of American Dirt as part of the February Book Club. I have to admit that this isn't the type of book I'd usually pick up but I'm glad I got the chance to read it.

I thought the book was a harrowing but important read - a poignant reminder that migrants are humans, with thoughts and feelings like anyone else. I enjoyed the focus on the personal stories of the characters. These stories touched me on an emotional level and made me give a much deeper level of thought and consideration to the plight of migrants around the world.

My question for the author:

The main character, Lydia, is an avid reader who ran her own bookstore prior to fleeing Acapulco. As a reader, I quickly developed a connection with her as I too enjoy reading. Was there a specific reason you chose this career for Lydia? Did you intend or hope for readers to develop a personal connection to Lydia in this way?

I didn’t mean to make Lydia a bookseller, but I knew that I wanted her to be someone readers would feel an immediate connection to. I wanted her to have a life that felt comfortable and warm, and for me, whenever I think of a life like that, I automatically think of books. So the evolution of her being a character who works as a bookseller was organic. I didn’t plan that ahead of time.

eGJ

A page turner heart wrenching read. Like liska I might not have picked this up in a bookshop, but I am pleased to have read a fictional version of the long journey and deprivations of migrants wanting a new peaceful, safe life.
I would like to ask Jeanine if she envisages a follow up (maybe a short story this time) I am sure we all want to know how life unfolds for both Lydia and Luca. Do they eventually get a Green Card or do they remain undocumented?
.

So many people have asked this question! I don’t have any plans for a sequel. But the good news is that I don’t have to write it, because Luca’s and Lydia’s stories, Soledad’s and Rebeca’s stories are all around us. There are so many people living right in my own community who have fascinating and heart-wrenching stories of their own journeys of compulsory migration. My greatest hope is that readers who have been moved to care about these characters might also find a new or renewed interest in engaging with other migrant stories, both in books and in real life.

Persistentdonor

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 don’t know how many migrants I spoke with during my five years of research, but I certainly had many conversations with people who were on different stages of their journeys. Some were heading to el norte for the first time, some were returning to families there. Others had been recently deported. I also talked to many people throughout the borderlands who were doing the work of supporting migrants: working at shelters, documenting human rights abuses, providing pro bono legal services. I was amazed at the courage and kindness I witnessed in those communities.

Mapleleaf

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?

This question is very similar to #2 above, and I would give the same answer. Though I will add that one of the reasons I wrote this book was that I hoped to encourage people in the US to engage more intimately with a story about migrants. I wanted people who are voters in this country to imagine themselves into migrants’ shoes. I hope that, if readers feel an increased sense of empathy for migrants after reading a story like this, that compassion follows them into the voting booth come November.

rocketstop

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.

Thank you for your kind words! I was very careful about the way I conducted my research, but it’s also true that much of Mexico is relatively safe. It’s safer, for example, than Memphis, Tennessee. Most of the violence is concentrated in specific areas, and I never felt unsafe while I was there. Migrants, and especially Central American migrants, are incredibly vulnerable during their journeys, and I wanted to illustrate the tremendous danger they endure. But undocumented migrants are vulnerable when they arrive in the US, too. Sometimes the worst part of that harrowing trek happens after a mother arrives on US soil, only to have her children taken away from her in ICE custody.

mrsHom

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.

Well, it’s true that this question is too big for me to answer, but I love that you were prompted to ask it after reading my book.I think the first thing we can do from within the space of our comfortable lives is to recognize the ways in which we’re culpable in creating these conditions for people who live outside of our borders. In the US especially, our foreign policy, immigration policy, our gun rights laws, and our recreational drug habits all have enormous implications in this story. The (fictional) guns used to massacre Lydia’s family would certainly have come from the US. The enormous power of the drug cartels is attributable to our consumption habits in the US. Our foreign policy stretching back decades has contributed hugely to the national instability of the Central American northern triangle countries. We don’t have to look beyond our own borders to begin identifying ways to help improve our neighbors’ conditions. We can begin by holding our elected leaders accountable for the policies (and resulting conditions) they create on our
behalf.

GrannyBear

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!

That scene was a late addition in the editorial process, and I added it because I really wanted Lydia to have a moment of reckoning, where she could face her antagonist and declare ownership over her own future. I wanted her to have a chance to tell him off. But I thought that a face-to-face reckoning of this kind would feel too contrived and fraught, so I opted for the cell phone.

gillyknits

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?

I love this question. In my mind, the whole book takes place on “American dirt,” be it the Central American soil of Rebeca and Soledad’s homeplace, the Mexican locales like Acapulco and Guadalajara, or the barren landscape of the Arizona desert. These are all American locations because they are places within the Americas. I chose the title because I liked the fact that it had several different meanings, as you gleaned in your question. It’s true that in this country, our treatment of migrants right now is shameful, like a dirty secret. I also wanted the title to remind people how arbitrary are those lines we draw on maps or in the dirt, to separate country from country, people from people.

mrswoo

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.

Unfortunately, writers have very little influence when it comes to the movie industry, but I will be as involved as they allow me to be! I would like the movie adaptation to feel true to the book, and to maintain a very female point of view.

granfromafar

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?

Thank you for this question! The controversy took me by surprise, and was at times very painful, but despite that, I’m glad it has opened up important conversations about inequities in the publishing industry. It’s true that Latinx stories have been hijacked and underrepresented for a very long time, and I hope that a lot of deserving writers will now have the chance to benefit from an increased spotlight on their stories. I’m also very grateful to Oprah Winfrey for standing by the book and by me. I thought her show on Apple TV+ was civil and balanced, and offered a forum to begin productive conversations. But then she also was able, after that publishing conversation happened, to pivot her attention back to where I always hoped it would be: onto migrants and their stories. I hope readers will do the same. I hope, if readers care enough about the characters in American Dirt, they might transfer some of that compassion onto the real people in need, and donate money or resources to a deserving migrant organization. (There’s a list on my website if you don’t know of one in your own community!)

Mythbirtthedragon

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 decided to end the book where I did because I felt like the journey itself was the part of the story that was the most unfamiliar to most of my readers. In some ways, it feels like leading readers to a door and encouraging them to open it for themselves. The fact is, there are a thousand different ways the stories might end for these characters, and I wanted the reader to have to grapple with that fact. I guess I wanted the reader to worry a little bit… the same way undocumented families have to live with that uncertainty and vulnerability. Plus, the book is already something like 140,000 words. I had to stop somewhere!

Buddie

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.

Hmmm. This is such a tough question, and I’m afraid answering it fully would yield another whole novel. But I will just say that there were many personal factors from my own life that made me feel interested in digging into an intimate story about what it might actually feel like to be a migrant. There are plenty of academic reasons why that’s true. But in the end, I always try to give voice to whatever story moves within my heart. And this was that story.

gma

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 .

Thank you for these kind words! I think I’ve already answered the sequel question, but I’m very grateful for the support and encouragement.

Crocky

I received the book from Gransnet. I felt reluctant to read it to begin with as I didn’t want to be fed a political stance to immigrants trying to cross the border into the USA, because the title American Dirt seemed to indicate that. Perhaps American Soil would have been better?
Finally started reading and became engaged with the believable characters, the reasons they were embarking on the journey and hoped for a successful arrival for them. I read quickly and easily as descriptions of what they were experiencing kept me immersed in the story. I did enjoy it as for me it was about the behaviour of human beings towards one another.
My question to Jeanine is, none of the characters expressed their pride in their own Nationality. During the Second World War it was the resistance movement within Europe who fought back against evil. Do you think that if there was a stronger pride in their own country people as a whole would stay and fight back against poor government and criminal organisations.

On the contrary, if there is a failure of pride in the characters of this book, then that failure is mine, not the migrants’. The people I met during my research were mostly proud and noble and brave. They are simply, in many cases, facing living conditions that are unsustainable. Very often, there’s no possibility of fighting back against the violence or oppression, and the only way to survive is to leave. Fighting, for so many of these young people, would only result in their certain death. The resistance movement in Europe didn’t win WWII by themselves. That conflict required global intervention to defeat the bad guys. The same is true today.