"This is a cycle, she thinks. Every day a fresh horror, and when it's over, this feeling of surreal detachment. A disbelief, almost, in what they just endured. The mind is magical. Human beings are magical....Lydia thinks about how adaptable a migrant must be. They must change their minds every day, every hour. They must be stubborn about one thing only: survival." -from the novel
I should have know this would be an excellent book when I saw it was an Oprah selection. I did not read her opinion until I had finished:
“American Dirt just gutted me, and I didn’t just read this book―I inhabited it….Everything about this book was so extraordinary. It’s suspenseful, the language is beautiful, and the story really opened my heart. I highly recommend it, and you will not want to put it down. It is just a magnificent novel.”
High praise, indeed!
Living in Acapulco, Lydia Quixano Perez and her young son, Luca, experience an extremely traumatic loss right at the beginning. Under threat of violence, she determines immediately that she must take Luca and get to "el norte" as quickly as possible. She knew it would not be an easy journey but had NO idea the perils they would face.
Along the way, figurative doors are alternately opened and slammed in their faces. They experience great hunger and thirst, physical abuse, injuries and even death. They meet evil people---like narcos (drug traffickers) and la migra (border patrol). There are also many characters who provide help and support, even at unexpected times. I found myself emotionally involved with several of these: Lydia, herself; the very precocious Luca, eight-years-old, going on 20; teenaged sisters Soledad and Rebeca; and the assertive, sometimes humorous youngster, Beto.
I thought often of We Are Not From Here, a novel by Jenny Torres Sanchez that I read a year ago. Both stories detail the incredible courage and determination that people in horrible circumstances, especially in Central America, must summon to try to get to the U.S. and a better life, oftentimes to actually save their lives! These two novels have given me much greater empathy for these migrantes.
I recommend this book highly! It is a riveting story of sacrifice, firm resolve, loyalty and survival. Although I can't say it was exactly enjoyable, I found it exceptional. My rating is 5+!
It is a few weeks until our group meeting. I hope others appreciate this novel as much as I did.
----------------------------
Page Turners met in person today---first time in over a year due to COVID! The average rating for the book is 4.4 with almost everyone voting a 4 or 5. We enjoyed a stimulating discussion using questions provided by the publisher. Only a few attendees knew much of the controversy about the book. I heard about it after reading the book and delved into it so I was able to share some of what I learned. In my opinion, it boils down to a number of Latinx authors resenting the fact that their writing about their culture and experiences is not as valued as American Dirt by a nonMexican writer. (I watched a video of Oprah Winfrey discussing her selection of the book with Jeanine Cummins and 3 Latina authors who have problems with aspects of American Dirt. The publisher and editor answered questions, as well. I learned there was a bidding war for the book and Cummins received 7 figures---pretty rare!)
Most of us thought the book was excellent and that it increased our understanding of what many immigrants go through to get to the country we too often take for granted.
No comments:
Post a Comment