Tierra americana / American Dirt (Spanish Edition)
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“Si lo que buscan es una mejor vida, búsquenla en otra parte. Este camino solo es para personas que no tienen otra opción, que dejan violencia y miseria detrás. El viaje se volverá más peligroso de ahora en adelante. Todo irá en contra de sus propósitos y los boicoteará”.
Lydia Quixano Pérez vive en Acapulco, México, donde lleva su librería. Tiene un hijo, Luca, el amor de su vida, y un maravilloso esposo que es periodista. Y aunque la vida en Acapulco comienza a agrietarse debido a los cárteles de la droga, su vida es confortable.
Un día llega un hombre a la librería y compra cuatro libros, entre los que se encuentran dos de las obras favoritas de Lydia, que piensa que nunca va a vender. Javier es erudito, encantador, aunque Lydia no lo sabe, es el jefe del nuevo cártel que se ha apoderado de la ciudad. Cuando se publica el revelador artículo sobre Javier que el esposo de Lydia escribe para el periódico local, sus vidas cambiarán para siempre.
Forzados a huir, Lydia y Luca, de ocho años, pronto se encuentran a kilómetros de su cómoda existencia. Transformados instantáneamente en migrantes, Lydia y Luca viajan en La Bestia, los trenes que se dirigen al norte hacia Estados Unidos, el único lugar donde Javier no podrá encontrarlos. Cuando se unen a las innumerables personas que intentan llegar al norte, Lydia pronto se da cuenta que todos huyen de algo. ¿Pero hacia qué huyen exactamente?
Tierra americana (American Dirt) dejará a los lectores completamente cambiados. Es un logro literario lleno de conmoción, drama y humanidad en cada página. Es uno de los libros más importantes de nuestro tiempo.American Dirt, de Jeanine Cummins, que ya ha sido aclamada como "una uva de la ira para nuestro tiempo" y "un nuevo clásico estadounidense", es una exploración poco común en los corazones internos de personas dispuestas a sacrificar todo por un rayo de esperanza.
ENGLISH DESCRIPTION
#1 New York Times Bestseller OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK
“Extraordinary.”―Stephen King
“This book is not simply the great American novel; it’s the great novel of las Americas. It’s the great world novel! This is the international story of our times. Masterful.”―Sandra Cisneros
También de este lado hay sueños. On this side, too, there are dreams.
Lydia Quixano Pérez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while there are cracks beginning to show in Acapulco because of the drug cartels, her life is, by and large, fairly comfortable.
Even though she knows they’ll never sell, Lydia stocks some of her all-time favorite books in her store. And then one day a man enters the shop to browse and comes up to the register with a few books he would like to buy―two of them her favorites. Javier is erudite. He is charming. And, unbeknownst to Lydia, he is the jefe of the newest drug cartel that has gruesomely taken over the city. When Lydia’s husband’s tell-all profile of Javier is published, none of their lives will ever be the same.
Forced to flee, Lydia and eight-year-old Luca soon find themselves miles and worlds away from their comfortable middle-class existence. Instantly transformed into migrants, Lydia and Luca ride la bestia―trains that make their way north toward the United States, which is the only place Javier’s reach doesn’t extend. As they join the countless people trying to reach el norte, Lydia soon sees that everyone is running from something. But what exactly are they running to?
American Dirt will leave readers utterly changed. It is a literary achievement filled with poignancy, drama, and humanity on every page. It is one of the most important books for our times.
Already being hailed as "a Grapes of Wrath for our times" and "a new American classic," Jeanine Cummins's American Dirt is a rare exploration into the inner hearts of people willing to sacrifice everything for a glimmer of hope.
“Si lo que buscan es una mejor vida, búsquenla en otra parte. Este camino solo es para personas que no tienen otra opción, que dejan violencia y miseria detrás. El viaje se volverá más peligroso de ahora en adelante. Todo irá en contra de sus propósitos y los boicoteará”.
Lydia Quixano Pérez vive en Acapulco, México, donde lleva su librería. Tiene un hijo, Luca, el amor de su vida, y un maravilloso esposo que es periodista. Y aunque la vida en Acapulco comienza a agrietarse debido a los cárteles de la droga, su vida es confortable.
Un día llega un hombre a la librería y compra cuatro libros, entre los que se encuentran dos de las obras favoritas de Lydia, que piensa que nunca va a vender. Javier es erudito, encantador, aunque Lydia no lo sabe, es el jefe del nuevo cártel que se ha apoderado de la ciudad. Cuando se publica el revelador artículo sobre Javier que el esposo de Lydia escribe para el periódico local, sus vidas cambiarán para siempre.
Forzados a huir, Lydia y Luca, de ocho años, pronto se encuentran a kilómetros de su cómoda existencia. Transformados instantáneamente en migrantes, Lydia y Luca viajan en La Bestia, los trenes que se dirigen al norte hacia Estados Unidos, el único lugar donde Javier no podrá encontrarlos. Cuando se unen a las innumerables personas que intentan llegar al norte, Lydia pronto se da cuenta que todos huyen de algo. ¿Pero hacia qué huyen exactamente?
Tierra americana (American Dirt) dejará a los lectores completamente cambiados. Es un logro literario lleno de conmoción, drama y humanidad en cada página. Es uno de los libros más importantes de nuestro tiempo.American Dirt, de Jeanine Cummins, que ya ha sido aclamada como "una uva de la ira para nuestro tiempo" y "un nuevo clásico estadounidense", es una exploración poco común en los corazones internos de personas dispuestas a sacrificar todo por un rayo de esperanza.
ENGLISH DESCRIPTION
#1 New York Times Bestseller OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK
“Extraordinary.”―Stephen King
“This book is not simply the great American novel; it’s the great novel of las Americas. It’s the great world novel! This is the international story of our times. Masterful.”―Sandra Cisneros
También de este lado hay sueños. On this side, too, there are dreams.
Lydia Quixano Pérez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while there are cracks beginning to show in Acapulco because of the drug cartels, her life is, by and large, fairly comfortable.
Even though she knows they’ll never sell, Lydia stocks some of her all-time favorite books in her store. And then one day a man enters the shop to browse and comes up to the register with a few books he would like to buy―two of them her favorites. Javier is erudite. He is charming. And, unbeknownst to Lydia, he is the jefe of the newest drug cartel that has gruesomely taken over the city. When Lydia’s husband’s tell-all profile of Javier is published, none of their lives will ever be the same.
Forced to flee, Lydia and eight-year-old Luca soon find themselves miles and worlds away from their comfortable middle-class existence. Instantly transformed into migrants, Lydia and Luca ride la bestia―trains that make their way north toward the United States, which is the only place Javier’s reach doesn’t extend. As they join the countless people trying to reach el norte, Lydia soon sees that everyone is running from something. But what exactly are they running to?
American Dirt will leave readers utterly changed. It is a literary achievement filled with poignancy, drama, and humanity on every page. It is one of the most important books for our times.
Already being hailed as "a Grapes of Wrath for our times" and "a new American classic," Jeanine Cummins's American Dirt is a rare exploration into the inner hearts of people willing to sacrifice everything for a glimmer of hope.
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Community Reviews
thenextgoodbook.com
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummings
378 pages
What’s it about?
Lydia lives in present day Acapulco. She is married to a journalist and has an 8-year-old son named Luca. Lydia owns a bookstore and is not unaware of the drug cartels infiltrating the city. She is able to largely ignore the problem until the cartel strikes her family and she is forced to flee Mexico to save Luca.
What did it make me think about?
It seems to me that this book was written with two goals in mind. To be a page-turner and to make us feel something about the immigrants that arrive from the South. It certainly achieves both goals.
Should I read it?
This book will appeal to a mass audience. It is a quick read with lots of action and a quick plot. It was predictable! Everything you could think of that stereotypically happens to immigrants on there way North is thrown into the plot of this book. But anyone looking for a quick read will enjoy this book.
Quote-
"She and Luca are actual migrants. That is what they are. And that simple fact, among all the other severe new realities in her life, knocks the breath clean out of her lungs. All her life she's pitied those poor people. She's donated money. She's wondered with he sort of detached fascination of the comfortable elite how dire the conditions of their lives must be wherever they come from, that this is the better option. That these people would leave their homes, their cultures, their families, even their languages, and venture into tremendous peril, risking their lives, all for the chance to get to the dream of some faraway country that doesn't even want them."
***I wanted to read American Dirt for myself since it has generated so much controversy. First, I absolutely agree that more books by people of color should be published and promoted by the publishing industry. Second, does having the moral high-ground give anyone the right to bully, intimidate, and publicly shame an individual? In a world that values words and ideas- are we really going to promote that only some people have the right to write about certain issues?
This may not have been one of my favorite books of the year, but I absolutely see why a publishing company would want it. Publishing is a business and this book will sell. In my estimation Ms. Cummings achieved her goal. She wrote a book designed to sell a lot of copies and promote a particular viewpoint. She wanted to make her readers see immigrants coming North as individuals- with compelling reasons for showing up at our border. Maybe we should view this book as not the enemy- but as a catalyst for change. Hopefully this novel will spark an interest in readers and we will see more novels published and promoted about Latin America. Next on my list are In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.
If you like this try-
Dominicana by Angie Cruz
Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement
In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende
The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Chritsty Lefteri
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummings
378 pages
What’s it about?
Lydia lives in present day Acapulco. She is married to a journalist and has an 8-year-old son named Luca. Lydia owns a bookstore and is not unaware of the drug cartels infiltrating the city. She is able to largely ignore the problem until the cartel strikes her family and she is forced to flee Mexico to save Luca.
What did it make me think about?
It seems to me that this book was written with two goals in mind. To be a page-turner and to make us feel something about the immigrants that arrive from the South. It certainly achieves both goals.
Should I read it?
This book will appeal to a mass audience. It is a quick read with lots of action and a quick plot. It was predictable! Everything you could think of that stereotypically happens to immigrants on there way North is thrown into the plot of this book. But anyone looking for a quick read will enjoy this book.
Quote-
"She and Luca are actual migrants. That is what they are. And that simple fact, among all the other severe new realities in her life, knocks the breath clean out of her lungs. All her life she's pitied those poor people. She's donated money. She's wondered with he sort of detached fascination of the comfortable elite how dire the conditions of their lives must be wherever they come from, that this is the better option. That these people would leave their homes, their cultures, their families, even their languages, and venture into tremendous peril, risking their lives, all for the chance to get to the dream of some faraway country that doesn't even want them."
***I wanted to read American Dirt for myself since it has generated so much controversy. First, I absolutely agree that more books by people of color should be published and promoted by the publishing industry. Second, does having the moral high-ground give anyone the right to bully, intimidate, and publicly shame an individual? In a world that values words and ideas- are we really going to promote that only some people have the right to write about certain issues?
This may not have been one of my favorite books of the year, but I absolutely see why a publishing company would want it. Publishing is a business and this book will sell. In my estimation Ms. Cummings achieved her goal. She wrote a book designed to sell a lot of copies and promote a particular viewpoint. She wanted to make her readers see immigrants coming North as individuals- with compelling reasons for showing up at our border. Maybe we should view this book as not the enemy- but as a catalyst for change. Hopefully this novel will spark an interest in readers and we will see more novels published and promoted about Latin America. Next on my list are In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.
If you like this try-
Dominicana by Angie Cruz
Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement
In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende
The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Chritsty Lefteri
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.
Book #46: COVID Hit, Christine's selection, which took place via Zoom. Christine arranged for the author to attend the meeting - incredible!
It's great to be starting out a new year with a 5-start book that gets a place on my highly recommended book shelf. A page - turner, it combines the fears and joys of a mother and son going through one of the most extraordinary journeys possible. If there's a book you read this year, make it this one!
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