Escaping violence and death

American Dirt

by Jeanine Cummins

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  

A harrowing tale of violence and the struggle to escape it.

Lydia and Sébastian live in Acapulco, México. They are educated, upper-middle-class, even well-to-do by Mexican standards. She owns a boutique bookstore; her husband is a journalist. They have a little boy, they adore, Luca. 

Sébastian does not shy away from controversial stories. Recently, the drug cartels have gotten stronger and more vicious in Acapulco. Sébastian writes an exposé of the most vicious cartel, and the city holds its breath. Mere hours after publication, armed men descend upon Lydia and Sébastian's home during a family birthday party. Every person present, Lydia's entire family, is executed. Lydia and Luca survive only because they hide in the bathtub.

The rest of the book is the tale of Lydia's escape from the vengeful cartels. The tale is as harrowing as it is detailed. She leaves her comfortable life for a fugitive existence. She and her son sleep on the side of the road and on top of trains, always heading north.

There was controversy about American Dirt; some people claimed that a white author shouldn’t write about the immigrant’s experience. I reject that claim entirely; this book is the product of the author’s imagination. More important, it is beautifully written and thought-provoking.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand more about immigration.