A review by jenniferbbookdragon
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

challenging emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Lydia and her son Luca are the heart of this story of love, loss, and the brutal reality of drug cartel violence in Mexico. By centering a middle class family,  Cummins makes it clear no one is safe when a community is taken over and draws the stark contrast between their previous lives and their new ones traveling to the United States border alongside other migrants. The journey is more harrowing than most of us are aware of, and we get to know other stories through the people they meet along the way. 
A heart-pounding look at the fact that the people anxious to cross the border are individuals with complex histories,  not a mob of faceless "invaders" as some political leaders have claimed. 
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