American Dirt

Everyone enjoyed this one!

I intentionally avoided reading about the controversy surrounding this book going into it - I wanted to come in with no judgement/expectations. I enjoyed the story, although it felt too 'easy' to read (if that makes sense.)

After I finished, I read more about the author, her very poor response to her critics, listened to some interviews of members of the Latinx community, and I felt guilty for enjoying this piece of “fake-ass social justice literature” (~Myriam Gurba.) I recommend listening to the author's interview on NPR (warning: it's cringe-y) and then heading over to the NPR podcast Alt.Latino to listen to their episode "'American Dirt': A Conversation About A Controversy." I plan to pick up Tell Me How it Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions by Valeria Luiselli next to further educate myself.

I guess I am in the minority among my Goodreads friends as I was not drawn into this novel. I was hoping to feel transported to Mexico and to get a sense of what the journey to the US might be like. I didn’t get a strong sense of place and I wonder if the author has actually been there. My favorite character was Luca by far. Some of the other characters who were traveling with them seemed flat. I plan to read Devil’s Highway to compare and contrast.

This is a book that has had a lot of controversy surrounding it. Personally, I think it’s ok the author wrote about this experience even though she’s never personally experienced it. She did her research, much like Jodi Picoult when she writes her novels, and looked for people to back up her sources. It wasn’t done light-heartedly. Also, it presents facts throughout about the immigration process and the crime rates in certain cities, and the influence the cartel may have. Granted, it’s still a work of fiction and should be treated as such.
Either way, whether the reader agrees or disagrees with the status on immigration, the book is a conversation starter.

Important, but upsetting.