American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
5/5 stars
This intense story begins with a gruesome mass murder and then follows a Mexican mother and child as they flee Acapulco due to drug cartel violence. They quickly leave behind their comfortable life in Mexico and become migrants on the move, living rough and running for their lives. The story gives a glimpse of what life can be like for refugees fleeing their country, with dreams of making it to the United States. The story is both terrifying and lovely: the horrors of life on the run are contrasted with the deep love and friendships that people forge when on a shared journey.
This was an epic page-turner for me. Although it might be easy to dismiss this as fiction, I think it gives a scarily realistic picture of what life is like for some families. Not only did I enjoy the intensity of the story, but it also caused me to think more about the issues faced by Mexican immigrants and other refugees. It can be easy to ignore an issue that seems far from us here, but this book brought to light that real people suffer in the same ways these characters did.
We read it for our book club and it lead to much discussion, so it would be a great pick for a group to read and discuss. Add it to your summer reading list now!
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