Jeanine Cummins's American Dirt , the #1 New York Times bestseller and Oprah Book Club pick that has sold over three million copies, is finally available in paperback. Lydia lives in Acapulco. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while cracks are beginning to show in Acapulco because of the cartels, Lydia's life is, by and large, fairly comfortable. But after her husband's tell-all profile of the newest drug lord is published, none of their lives will ever be the ...
Read More
Jeanine Cummins's American Dirt , the #1 New York Times bestseller and Oprah Book Club pick that has sold over three million copies, is finally available in paperback. Lydia lives in Acapulco. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while cracks are beginning to show in Acapulco because of the cartels, Lydia's life is, by and large, fairly comfortable. But after her husband's tell-all profile of the newest drug lord is published, none of their lives will ever be the same. Forced to flee, Lydia and Luca find themselves joining the countless people trying to reach the United States. Lydia soon sees that everyone is running from something. But what exactly are they running to?
Read Less
Add this copy of American Dirt to cart. $1.52, good condition, Sold by Zoom Books Company rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lynden, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Holt McDougal.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Book is in good condition and may contain underlining or highlighting and minimal wear. The book can also include library labels. May not contain miscellaneous items (toys, dvds, etc). We offer 100% money back guarantee and fast customer support.
Add this copy of American Dirt (Oprah's Book Club) to cart. $2.20, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Holt McDougal.
Add this copy of American Dirt (Oprah's Book Club) to cart. $2.20, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Holt McDougal.
Add this copy of American Dirt (Oprah's Book Club) to cart. $2.20, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Holt McDougal.
Add this copy of American Dirt (Oprah's Book Club) to cart. $2.20, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Holt McDougal.
Add this copy of American Dirt (Oprah's Book Club) to cart. $2.20, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Holt McDougal.
Add this copy of American Dirt to cart. $2.72, fair condition, Sold by Dream Books Co. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Denver, CO, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Holt Paperbacks.
Add this copy of American Dirt to cart. $2.95, good condition, Sold by Goodwill Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hillsboro, OR, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Holt McDougal.
Add this copy of American Dirt to cart. $2.95, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hillsboro, OR, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Holt McDougal.
Add this copy of American Dirt (Oprah's Book Club) to cart. $2.99, very good condition, Sold by Gladewater Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Gladewater, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Holt McDougal.
Early in 2019, my book group read Philip Caputo's novel, "Some Rise by Sin". The book has strong religious themes and tells a story of a Mexican drug cartel and its impact on the poor. The book stresses the pervasive nature of the cartel or "Brotherhood" and how it infiltrates all aspects of Mexican life.
Our group is in the process of reading another novel set in Mexico and dealing with drug cartels. In contrast to the ponderous character of "Some Rise by Sin" and its focus on religious themes, Jeanine Cummins novel "American Dirt" is a page-turner. The novel tells the story of Lydia Perez and her eight year old son, Luca, who are forced to flee Acapulco and take their chances in reaching and entering the United States when they find themselves in the sights of a Mexican drug cartel. The book is a suspense story with elements of a picaresque road novel as it shows the many people and places Lydia and her son meet on their harrowing journey.
The novel opens with a shocking scene in which Lydia's family is gunned down during a birthday celebration after Lydia's husband, a journalist, has written an expose of the newly-dominant cartel. Lydia owns a bookstore in Acapulco. She has become close friends with one of her patrons, Javier, a would-be poet and devoted reader. Lydia does not at first recognize Javier as the cartel leader. When the rest of the family, including Lydia's husband is killed at the party by Javier's gang at the party while she and Luca hide in the house, she concludes that she must flee.
Cummins describes Lydia's flight to the United States over a 53-day period and a 2,645 mile journey. She must watch vigilantly at every step to avoid the powerful, ever-present cartel. During the journey, she and Lucas meet many people, including fellow-migrants, kind individuals who try to assist the migrants, members of the cartel, and people in many Mexican cities and towns who try to live their lives and not to become involved with the cartel. The many characters in the story include two beautiful teenage sisters fleeing from Guatemala, who face many difficulties from sexually predatory men before and during their flight for a better life.
Much of the flight of Lydia and Luca and their fellow migrants takes place on freight trains nicknamed "La Bestia". The migrants become adept at the task of scaling the freight railroads heading north. This mode of transportation has its risks, which are graphically described in the story.
In addition to riding La Bestia, the other large part of the journey begins with Lydia and Luca reach a border town and need to arrange for their crossing into the United States. Together with several other migrants, friendly and unfriendly, they enlist the services of a coyote -- an individual who leads immigrants on the treacherous journey through the desert to make an illegal entry into el norte, The book offers a personalized portrayal of the coyote and of the brutal, high-risk nature of the journey.
The book held my attention during several cold and icy days as I followed the journey of Lydia and Luca and was moved by the risks they faced and by the acts of kindness and compassion by those who helped them along the way, including several priests. Although it has a melodramatic component, the book reads well and for the most part convincingly. The book tells a story of the impact of the drug trade and the search of some individuals to find a better life. I enjoyed reading this book in a group, together with the Caputo novel, to get pictures of the Mexican drug cartels and their impact as viewed through the eyes of two American novelists.
