My reading goal for last year was to complete 20 books which I had naively presumed to be a realistic target. I had a great start and made promising headway but my reading pace began to slacken drastically after the second half of the year (the non-fiction did me in, you guys!). I managed to read 16/20 books which is not too shabby but I was a bit disappointed not to have fulfilled my goal. I hope to have better luck this year *fingers crossed*.
For my first read of 2022, I chose American Dirt, a 2020 fiction novel by American author Jeanine Cummins about the ordeal of a Mexican mother and son duo who are forced to flee their life and escape as undocumented immigrants into the United States.
The publisher of American Dirt, Flatiron Books, undertook a massive publicity campaign, including sending boxes of copies to libraries near the Mexican border, holding a release party, and obtaining blurbs from big names in the literary world like Stephen King, Sandra Cisneros, Don Winslow and John Grisham. In January 2020, a day before the book's release, Oprah Winfrey announced that she had selected the novel for her book club.
American Dirt debuted on New York Times best sellers list as the #1 on the list for the week of February 9, 2020. Despite initial positive reviews and its status as one of the best-selling books of 2020, it has also generated controversy for its alleged inaccurate portrayal of Mexico and Mexicans.
*** Plot***
The story begins in Acapulco, located in Mexico. The picturesque beach resort town is caught in the grip of violence from narcotic cartel turf wars. A new cartel called Los Jardineros headed by a relatively anonymous drug kingpin nicknamed “The Owl” is making their ominous presence felt within the community.
Lydia Pérez is a doting wife, loving mother and library owner going about her daily life in typical middle-class comfort. When her journalist husband Sebastián publishes a sensational exposé about the Owl, there are unforeseen repercussions and an unthinkable price to pay. Sixteen members of Lydia’s family are mercilessly slaughtered during a family barbecue. Lydia and her eight year old son Luca, are the only survivors and must flee north (el norte) via the infamous freight train, La Bestia, before it is too late. Their life as they have known it has been completely upended and they are relying on a barely-there plan, meagre savings and suppressed emotions to live another day. What makes matters worse is Lydia’s unwitting friendship with the Owl which makes the hunt for the duo, a deeply personal undertaking.
With menacing sicarios hot on their heels, Lydia and Luca must also contend with moles in the police force, kidnappers, robbers and vigilante groups while on an arduous and harrowing migrant trail to cross the border into safety and freedom.
On their epic journey, they experience kindness from complete strangers, form close-knit bonds with fellow migrants, live through nightmarish shared experiences and discover things about themselves they never thought possible.
