Jeanine Cummins
Fiction 2019 | 380 pages
In Chapter one, a Mexican family in Acapulco is celebrating a quinceañera at a backyard barbecue at Sebastian and Lydia's home. In the first five pages of American Dirt, sixteen members of one family are murdered by a drug cartel. Sebastian, who is managing the barbecue at his home, is a journalist who reports the truth about the drugs cartels that have overrun Acapulco. Only his wife Lydia and their son Luca survive the bloodbath, as they were in the house.
This dramatic novel proceeds from there as we follow Lydia and eight-year-old Luca attempt to find safety, knowing they are being tracked by el jefe of the cartel. We are with them as they make the long journey, traveling all the way up Mexico to reach el Norte. They travel much of the time on the roofs of la bestia, which is a freight train. They constantly are on the alert for, and numerous times encounter, police, cartel members, law enforcement agents, ICE agents, border patrol. And yet, they travel as immigrants and find many people along the in small towns who help them with food and water, and occasionally a place to sleep.
This is all complicated by a friend Lydia made before the day of the killings. Javier met her in the bookstore she owns in Acapulco. As their friendship deepens, we learn that Javier is a jefe in the largest, most powerful cartel. He was responsible for the deaths of Lydia's family. He tracks Lydia and Luca as they attempt to find safety,
The writing is very clean, there is considerable suspense, and we get a view of life through a migrant's eyes,
Many literary reviewers panned the book for its lack of authenticity, arguing it capitalized on the suffering of migrants without demonstrating a genuine, nuanced understanding of Mexican culture or the sociopolitical landscape. Ms. Cummins is a white woman of Puerto Rican descent. Not knowing about this criticism, I took American Dirt at face value and found it to be well worth my time. I did learn a lot about the courage and commitment it takes to arrive at our Southern border. I did also think it bogged down a bit in places, because the (literal) landscape never changes.
Besides our main characters, Lydia and her son Luca, we meet others traveling the same path. Soledad and Rebeca are teenage sisters. Their interaction and reaction to the travel is enlightening, often heartwarming. Lydia takes them under her wing, and these four travel together for many miles and many days.
I recommend American Dirt. It is an engaging and powerful read.
May 2026