American Dirt- suspenseful tale of immigrants

 

American Dirt

by Jeanine Cummins

4/5 stars 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I finished this book on Aug 6.

I know there has been some controversy around it, but I thought it was a great book.

You really absorb the feelings of the characters, and there is great suspense.

This is the story of Lydia and her son, who flee Mexico to come to "el Norte" after a mass killing of the rest of their family.

While those of us who live here in the US certainly have heard stories of the hardships immigrants endure, seeing it through their eyes is illuminating. I have heard about coyotes, and how dangerous crossing the desert can be, but had never heard about la Bestia, and that folks ride on TOP of freight train cars, boarding and jumping off while the train is in motion.

I also had never heard that la Migra, that there was a Mexican immigration force trying to prevent this on the Mexican side.

The book was very well-written, and even though there are flashbacks, it's always clear what's going on and when.

The story is a hard and heartbreaking one, but a very quick read.

I would recommend this book for every American.