When sixteen members of her family are murdered in a revenge kill by the drug cartel that has overrun Acapulco, Lydia Quixano Perez and her eight-year-old son Luca must flee Mexico buy any means possible if they have any hope of surviving.

Please, please, please, check out this book on Goodreads, preorder it wherever you buy books, reserve it at your local library, do whatever you need to do to read this book. This book will make you feel uncomfortable and it should. @jeaninecummins is responsible for the new line between my eyebrows because I read this novel in a constant state of unease.

It is brilliant. It is horrifying and too real (if such a thing is possible) and absolutely brilliant. Cummins writes about the drug cartels from the point of view of the victims. She highlights the everyday people who are used as collateral damage for some evil men. There is no glamorising or romanticising but the evil is shown for what it is.

And then there's Lydia. A middle class, working mother and wife. A business owner who had the bad luck of befriending the wrong man and marrying a man who dared to do what others wouldn't and unmask the crimes of the cartels. Lydia is many of us. She lives comfortable and feels bad when she hears about what migrants are going through every day but she never imagines she'll ever be one. And then her world is absolutely obliterated and what Cummins delivers is a painfully account of a mother risking everything she has left to give her son the chance of survival.

I believe that writers can and should write about anything but if you're going to write about a world you don't inhabit then you have to do the hard work of research. Cummins did the work and it shows. It's been called our generations' GRAPES OF WRATH, which I agree with. I'm also going to say fans of THE ROAD by Ian McCormick should read this too. What's terrible is that this isn't post-apocalyptic but a depiction of the world we live in.

I'm going to end with a quote from a mural in Tijuana: On this side, too, there are dreams.

American Dirt is one of the most highly anticipated book of the winter. It has shown up on numerous 'best of' lists and is getting a lot of positive attention. I tend to be a bit skeptical about a book that is so talked about and always wonder if the critics liked it but the average reader won't - let me assure you that American Dirt not only belongs on best of January books but will be on BEST of 2020 books.

Lydia lives in Acapulco with her 8 year old son Luca and her husband Sebastian, a reporter. She owns a bookstore and surrounds herself with the books that she loves. She isn't rich but her family and extended family live good honest hard working lives. Until Sebastian writes an article about the leader of a drug cartel in the area. At a family cookout, Sebastian and 15 other members of Lydia's family are massacred by the cartel. Only Lydia and Luca survive and she knows that they must run if they are going to stay alive. They begin a trip to the United States where they know they will be safe. On the almost month long trip, they meet other migrants who help them as they are faced with robbery, corrupt police, hunger but mostly fear - fear of being successful in their journey and fear of the cartel who is still searching for her.

Even though I was anxious to know how Lydia's journey ended, I read this book very slowly. The writing is exquisite and I highlighted many passages that were beautiful. I can't say enough good things about this book.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

I wish I could give this book 10 stars. American Dirt is, simply, amazing. After Lydia's husband, a journalist, publishes a profit of a Mexican cartel leader, her entire family is murdered during her nieces quinceanera. Mercifully, the killers do not see Lydia and her son Luca and they're spared. In an instant, their lives are changed forever and they're forced to flee Mexico. The novel follows Lydia and Luca on their harrowing journey north as they attempt to migrate to the US. Told in a breathtaking pace, I could not put the novel down, but was terrified to read what comes next. The prose is beautiful and the characters extremely well-developed, The contrast between Lydia and Luca's previous life to their current life on the run is so beautifully written, it will have you examining your privilege and the luck to be born in the US. American Dirt will break your heart. Some day in the near future, this book will be read in every classroom, It's a To Kill a Mockingbird for the 2020's. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the privilege of being able to read an early copy.

Thanks to Netgalley and Flatiron for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a harrowing read about something I knew very little about. You hear about the immigration crisis but I had no idea how dangerous and crazy Mexico can be. I had heard of some crazy things but didn’t know how common it could be.

This is about a mother and son trying to flee Mexico as they run for their lives. This story was depressing but I am really glad the author decided to research this topic and write about it. This is an important book.

Despite previous reviews this book focuses on America as the golden land and stereotypes Mexican experience and hardship. Do not recommend.

Dramatic. Intense. Captivating. Emotionally brutal. Cummins tells of a mother and her young son’s desperate flight from Acapulco, Mexico, to the safety of “el Norte.” The human factor that is so often lost in political banterings about immigration and border security is front and center here and impossible to dismiss.

With regard to the structure of the book, I find myself wishing that the Epilogue and Author’s Note were not included. They broke the raw emotional spell that had been cast and allowed me to return to thinking instead of feeling. I could absolutely see a sequel with these two components as the starting place. Overall, American Dirt is timely and incredibly impactful, a novel that should be included in discussions across the country.

Incredible story telling inside a deeply moving and timely story. I was on the edge of seat the whole time and I look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to @flatiron_books for my advance copy of American Dirt in exchange for my honest review. This is honestly the best book I read in 2019 and could be one of the most important books for the coming years. This novel shed so much light to me on illegal immigrants and what they are facing and humanized a very important and divisive issue.

Lydia’s world is completely upended in the matter of one afternoon. Sixteen members of her family are killed in a single day. Lydia is alone with her son Luca with a cartel leader actively hunting them. They are on the run for their lives from Acapulco to El Norte.

This novel was so enlightening. I was moved to tears at points. The struggle of these two as they are trying to save themselves from a situation that is all to rampant.

I'm always skeptical of hype about a book and I picked up American Dirt, whose hype included " the Grapes of Wrath for our times" and "a classic," with the same skepticism. But, after reading this fantastic novel to the exclusion of everything else I needed to do, I can say only that the hype is understated. Cummins' portrayal of Lydia, a middle-class Mexican who owns a bookstore and whose journalist husband is slaughtered, along with 15 other relatives, in the aftermath of his published portrait of a cartel leader (and, unknowingly, her favorite bookstore patron) is nothing short of brilliant. Throughout history people have migrated under a variety of threats - African Americans from the US south to the north; Okies from the dust bowl of the southern middle west to California; European Jews from the Inquisition and the Nazis, and many many more. And many novels have been written about these experiences, often featuring male heroes. But in American Dirt, Cummins takes us on a journey of an individual woman and her young son in such visceral language that I felt I was part of their small group that rode La Bestia, the tops of trains heading to the U.S. border, part of the group taken by a coyote across the border, dirty and hungry and always afraid. To say more will spoil the read. American Dirt is more than worthy of its hype should be on everyone's reading list for 2020.

This is my 1st read of 2020 and I truly believe it will be one of my top. Lydia, her son Luca and her journalist husband seem to have a happy normal life in Acapulco. Love the fact that she is a bookstore owner. Little did she know, Javier, the charming customer that she befriends would change everything. Javier is the head of the drug cartel and Luca's husband makes the deadly mistake of writing a story about Javier. Lydia and Luca risk everything on a mission to escape from Mexico to Arizona. I felt like I was with them every dangerous, terrifying step of the way. It is a fast paced, action packed story. Yet there is deep emotion for with them and the cast of characters that become a part of their journey. The writing is amazing and the story is an important one and one I wont soon forget.

Despite reading a lot of books every year, there are only a rare few that actually stick with me for a long time – only a few that truly impact the way I think about the world. “American Dirt” by Jeanine Cummins is a heartwrenching and depressing read, but because of its brutal honesty and suspenseful vibe, it was still a book that I enjoyed immensely.

The story centers around Lydia and her son, Luca, who end up needing to flee their home in Acapulco, Mexico because of a horrific act of violence from the local cartel. Their lives become centered around the sole goal of making it to el norte and simply surviving their surroundings. Cummins describes their journey with an incredible openness, sharing all of the indignities and dangers they experience on the run. Instead of simply writing of the terror of their trip, Cummins also injects onto the page the fierce love and devotion between both mother and son and the companions they end up becoming attached to during the trip. This creates a frenetic, desperate energy on every page – the reader fully grasps the gravity and danger of the situation, in the end, establishing a theme of what each of us is willing to do in order to protect our loved ones.

Although the word I kept thinking of was misery when reading this novel, it also felt strangely like a privilege to be getting a firsthand (albeit fictional) account of the insanely difficult challenge that immigrants face trying to escape their homeland and make their way into the US. I have never experienced the many complex emotions and thoughts that must go through the heads of these people, who so valiantly decide that the potential promise of eventual safety is worth the incredible risks they face during the journey. They grapple with the risk of deportation right back to the country they’re terrified of and, in way too many cases, the possibility of death every minute that they travel. Cummins gave me the biggest gift by allowing me to fully put myself into these people’s shoes. I feel an intense, growing compassion for the migrants who make it into the US only to be treated so abusively by our government. If only all of us could imagine what horrors they’ve witnessed that have led them to make the trek into our country.

Cummins’ story is, of course, a hard read. There were times when I needed to take a break from the intensity of the story. But that just let me know that the book simply felt so realistic that I became wrapped up in the characters and their plight. Because of the importance of this story and her beautiful language, I wish this book would be required reading in schools. There is so much we can learn by getting inside access into worlds so different from our own. Just the author’s note alone gave me a different, valuable perspective that I didn’t have before I began the novel. And isn’t that the whole point of reading in the end?

This book is one of my highly anticipated novels of 2020. I can't wait to discuss it with my book club. I'm a fan of any book that has characters who are book lovers. I picked up quite a few book suggestions from the protaganist, Lydia. I love books that inspire me to read other books via the love the characters have for their favorite books.

Beautifully written sad story that somehow avoids cliches. A fantastic book to read for those looking to understand immigration and the challenges immigrants face, particularly female immigrants.

What a timely, powerful read telling the tale of a migrant and her son escaping the cartel world of Honduras headed to the north.
This kept me on the edge of my seat, reading into the night to see what would come next for Lydia and Luca, as well as their new traveling companions.
It shed light on the reality of these families fleeing, what they go through, what they face when they reach the border.
A fantastic piece of writing, it will stay with the reader long after it is finished. Loved it!

This book is going to be HUGE in 2020! Don’t miss it. REVIEW...

Many thanks to @flatiron_books and @kb.reads19 for this giveaway win. I was so thrilled to read this one. I also had a digital copy from Netgalley.

The book opens with one of the most riveting first chapters I’ve ever read: eight-year-old Luca and his mother Lydia hiding in the shower while their entire family is slaughtered in the backyard during a family party. It’s Acapulco, Mexico, and Lydia’s husband was a journalist who reported on the corruption and violence of the drug cartels, and ended up being their target. Lydia, a college-educated bookstore owner, now finds herself running for her life with her son, desperate to protect him at all costs. With no other recourse, she ends up joining the many Latin American immigrants trying to get to the United States.

This book was truly excellent. A page-turner, but with literary writing. Character-driven, but with a harrowing plot. I want everyone to read it so we can discuss it. It is certainly a timely topic, and a harrowing reminder of a world that most of us, in our comfortable homes, cannot even begin to comprehend. And yet, it doesn’t feel like a “political” book. There’s no overt agenda here, other than to open the reader’s eyes to the terror and desperation that drives these people. To remind us, as the author states in her author’s note, that these people are people. This would make a fantastic book club selection, leading to thoughtful conversation while also being a gripping (and yes, entertaining) read.

My verdict? An easy five stars. Read it as soon as you can. Releases January 21, 2020.

“I defy anyone to read the first seven pages of this book and not finish it.” - Stephen King

This endorsement on the cover was the first thing that drew me to the book before I heard anything about it. And then I began to see some buzz starting to build around bookstagram. I saw some great reviews - and also saw some people who were upset it isn’t an OwnVoices book.

When LibroFM gave me the opportunity to listen to a review copy I decided it was time to read it and make my own opinions. I went in knowing almost nothing else - I knew it was a migrant story starting in Mexico and that’s it.

Honestly? I think you should also go in without knowing anything. Let this story unfold and pull you along with it. Very quickly I was drawn all the way in. The audiobook production was incredible and it was hard to put it down. When I had commute issues - I was mildly frustrated but also glad for the extra listening time.

This is a book your friends will be talking about, your book club will be discussing, your mom will ask you if you’ve read. Preorder it now - you’ll be glad to have read this one right away.

Thank you to LibroFM, Netgalley and Flatiron Books for the advance reading and listening copies.

Lydia lives in Acapulco with her young son Luca and her journalist crusading husband. She runs a bookstore that caters to some tourists, as well as popular and intellectual readers. Her family is large, loving and close. A well-dressed, enigmatic gentleman starts frequenting her bookstore. They seem to have similar tastes, and his comments are both charming and interesting.

But this man is not who she imagines. He is the jefe of the very dangerous cartel now being investigated by her husband. Quickly, Lydia’s world shatters and she and Luca must flee for their lives.

Cummins takes the reader on a dangerous, fast-paced trip with Lydia and Luca as they try to avoid the danger behind them (the Cartel) and the dangerous world of migrants ahead of them. They are never knowing whom they can trust, but having to gamble to reach their goal, El Norte. They take a route walking through villages, towns. Sometimes they are befriended, sometimes threatened. They seek food and shelter with limited resources in their attempt to reach the train, la bestia, to take them to the border and the coyote that awaits them. With every step they relive the trauma that set them on their journey.

I live in a border state, Arizona, and am familiar with some of the hardships many migrants encounter upon arrival. What this author does is depict what hardships the migrants faced before fleeing and what perils they encountered on their journey. Perhaps Congress can buy this title in bulk to share. Highly recommended.

A big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Poignant, relevant & powerful.

American Dirt is already one of the buzziest books of 2020 and it's still 2019! Looking into the lives of a mother and son whose entire family was slaughtered in cartel retaliation as they attempt to cross the border to "El Norte" is bound to be an emotional read, but Cummins brilliant writing adds another layer to this already gripping story.

If I had one complaint with this story, some parts could have been cut down a bit, but overall, this book was tremendously powerful and I have a feeling will be talked about for years to come. I look forward to seeing more from Cummins in the future, she is definitely a voice to watch.

I thought this was absolutely fantastic and I can't wait for everyone I know to read it so we can talk about it together. If you follow me, you know I have a sweet spot for what I like to call "compulsively readable literary fiction." This is it.

American Dirt grabbed me from the opening scenes.The horrific massacre of a family in Mexico a family who had gathered for a barbecue a mother& son who hide in the bathtub the only two who survive,
This book could of been drawn from the horror of today’s headlines.The mother and son on the run fleeing for their lives struggling to escape start a new life..A brilliant heartbreaking read a portrait of the suffering illegal immigrants face a book that will make you weep make you think.An important book a book we need to pass from one to another,#netgalley#flatironbooks