American Dirt: Chapter Sampler
Books | Fiction / Hispanic & Latino
4.3
(654)
Jeanine Cummins
Download a free excerpt from Jeanine Cummins's American Dirt!También de este lado hay sueños. On this side too, there are dreams.Already being hailed as "a Grapes of Wrath for our times" and "a new American classic", American Dirt is a rare exploration into the inner hearts of people willing to sacrifice everything for a glimmer of hope.If it’s only a better life you seek, seek it elsewhere...This path is only for people who have no choice, no other option, only violence and misery behind you. And your journey will grow even more treacherous from here. Everything is working against you. —American DirtLydia Quixano Perez 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 four 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 when they finish reading it. It is a page-turner, it is a literary achievement, it is filled with poignancy, drama, and humanity on every page. It is one of the most important books for our times.
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More Details:
Author
Jeanine Cummins
Pages
27
Publisher
Flatiron Books
Published Date
2019-08-02
ISBN
125075108X 9781250751089
Community ReviewsSee all
"I have also read The Outside Boy and The Crooked Branch by Jeanine Cummins. I loved The Crooked Branch. It's probably my favorite of the summer. The Outside Boy was also good, but not a favorite. What is your favorite of the summer?"
S M
Sarah McKitrick
"This book. I couldn’t put it down and I can’t forget it. I was up on that train with that mama and her boy and it was hard to come back down. I couldn’t take a breath until they could."
C a
Cheryl ann knickerbocker
"I have just finished this book and it was completely breath taking. I felt so heavily invested in the characters that I found myself full of worry, only to realize I was worrying about the fictional character from my book. The book was well-written, compassionate, and glaringly honest. I have a deeper understanding for the atrocities people living in cartel infested cities must face. I know that I can not come close to knowing what this is like, but this book has given me much to think about."
"Amazing. A book that truly makes you want to get up and make a change. Eye opening and shocking. "
J B
Jessica Beatty
"I really loved it although it has some bad critics… it’s very well written and I couldn’t put it down, finished it in two days!"
K S
Kathrin Schmalzing
"A new favorite ill read over and over "
H G
Haleigh Getty
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