American Dirt

Cummins takes an issue — immigration — that is highly politicized in our country and reminds us that it is not a political issue, it is a human one. Lydia and Luca’s harrowing journey is a reminder that no one chooses be caught in the net of a brutally inhumane immigration system unless their circumstances are so dire that they have no other choice, and America cannot continue turning a blind eye to their plight. Recommended By Lucinda G., Powells.com

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También de este lado hay sueños. On this side too, there are dreams.

Lydia Quixano Pérez 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 a few 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. It is a literary achievement filled with poignancy, drama, and humanity on every page. It is one of the most important books for our times.

Already being hailed as "a Grapes of Wrath for our times" and "a new American classic," Jeanine Cummins's American Dirt is a rare exploration into the inner hearts of people willing to sacrifice everything for a glimmer of hope.

"Why do we read fiction? By immersing ourselves in the lives of fictional characters we gain emotional depth, breadth, and empathy. We become more human. I have never felt more changed — or challenged — by a book than I have by American Dirt. It's truly a revelation." Elin Hilderbrand, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Summer of '69

"Urgent and unforgettable, American Dirt leaps the borders of the page and demands attention, especially now." Sarah Blake, author of the New York Times bestsellers The Postmistress and The Guest Book

"Intensely suspenseful and deeply humane, this novel makes migrants seeking to cross the southern U.S. border indelibly individual." Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

"This book is not simply the great American novel; it's the great novel of las Americas. It's the great world novel! This is the international story of our times. Masterful." Sandra Cisneros

"American Dirt is an extraordinary piece of work, a perfect balancing act with terror on one side and love on the other. I defy anyone to read the first seven pages of this book and not finish it. The prose is immaculate, and the story never lets up." Stephen King

Jeanine Cummins is the author of the novels The Outside Boy and The Crooked Branch, and the bestselling memoir A Rip in Heaven. She lives in New York with her husband and two children.