American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

I am Mexican-American. I am first generation. My father was born in Mexico, in 1955. He was brought to the United States at age four. He was granted permanent residency and then eventually became a citizen in 2001.

 I grew up living in a  border city and spent a lot of my youth driving back and forth across the border to visit family. I learned how to speak English and Spanish at the same time as it was the only way I could communicate with grandparents, great-grandparents (who lived in the US) and my familia in Mexico.

I keep hearing about, "American Dirt", my gringo friends wanted to know my opinion on it - my thoughts. Why had I suddenly become the voice of the Mexican people? Why did my opinion matter? Was it because I am Latina or because I am the only Latina they know? What it because they genuinely carried about my opinion or because the book is so controversial?

I was hesitant to pick it up as I heard a lot of negative backlash on it. It sat in my TBR pile for days until I finally picked it up to read.

Immediately I rolled my eyes. It start's of with the slaughter of a family at quincenera, which immediately made me think of  The Border by Steve Schafer as his novel starts off the same way! I thought what a cliche way to start a novel. Suddenly everyone knows about quinces but 20 years ago they were not common to those outside the Latino community.

I pushed myself to read more because I was intrigued  and then I came across the main character using the word "carajo" - A word I didn't grow up using or know of  until my Puerto Rican friends taught it to me however I just dismissed it as something I wasn't familiar with as my family lived in a different part of Mexico.

I felt myself growing engrossed with the read, the characters and the writing. I feel in love with Luca and his mother as they made their trek across Mexico. Fleeing their hometown to make it to the United States so that they could have an opportunity to live and not be slaughtered like their loves ones. I winced as they attempted to get on "La Bestia"" the freight train the many migrants ride, a train that takes many of lives. The journey is dangerous and Cummins writing pushed my mind back to the many documentaries I've seen regarding this harrowing ride. I felt their fear.

I eventually became a bystander in their journey to the United States as they came across good and bad people. Auxiliary characters became important  and I was on edge in regards to who they could and could not trust. I turned page after page as the read and then ..... reality hit. My reality.

I had to set the book down and pace ..... Was I angry? Was I upset? Had Cummins, "white washed" the story, the journey, the characters ...... Was I a traitor to my gente for liking and enjoying a book that so many hate? After thinking, I came to this conclusion. I enjoyed the read. It isn't my experience or the experience of others as we all experience things differently.

What was important was that Cummins has brought attention to the violence in Mexico and Central America - the violence migrants are fleeing from. She's giving  a voice to those who shout but no one hears because they are deaf to the voices of the Latinos seeking asylum, safety and freedom or maybe I am too Americanized to be angry about this book - this story. Are there things she got wrong? Absolutely! Are there things that made me cringe? Yes! Was the story about a mothers love for her son a solid one? Yes, absolutely. Was this story worth the read? It was - for me that is. Make your own judgments, push the negative reviews aside and make your own opinions.