American Dirt

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Jeanine Cummins

Publisher: Flatiron

Year: 2020

“Lydia understands that it’s not a disguise at all. She and Luca are actual migrants.”

I hemmed and hawed about reading this book. There was so much hype and controversy around it when it published that it kind of turned me off. But my local library had it available so I grabbed it. 

Lydia and her young son must go on the run after the rest their family is killed by a cartel. Their only chance to survive is to make the perilous journey to the US. 

Hype and controversy aside, it’s a good book. The characters are interesting and well developed. The story is compelling and the pacing is good. But......for some reason it didn’t really give me the emotional punch that I thought it would. I think it was because I read the book really fast knowing that it’s a popular book and that other library patrons would want the book soon. Maybe if I took more time with it, I would have appreciated it more. 

I think any book that brings attention to the plight of people so desperately fighting for a better life is a good thing. It was good, but not one of my favorites of the year. 

Have you read it? What did you think? Am I just being a contrarian? 

September Wrap Up

 September Reading Wrap Up

September was a good reading month for me. I read a total of 14 books and enjoyed most of them. 

My favorites for the month were And Now She’s Gone, The Night Swim and Eight Perfect Murders. Finally read American Dirt. I think I had higher expectations for it because of all the hype. It was well written with good characters, but it lacked the emotional punch I was expecting.  The book that surprised me the most was The Humans. My book club read it. I didn’t expect it to be so funny and thought provoking. We had a great discussion about it. 

I listened to the audio version of Before I Go to Sleep. It’s a solid thriller and I enjoyed it. It’s on Amazon’s list of 100 mysteries and thrillers to read in a lifetime. Here’s the link to their list: https://www.amazon.com/b/ref=nodl_?ie=UTF8&node=8994558011

I’m about 75% done with the list. If it were up to me, I don’t think Before I Go to Sleep would make the cut. I guess the premise of a woman waking up every day with her memories is unique enough for the book to be on the list. 

Looking forward to reading Nic Stone’s Dear Justyce this month. It’s the sequel to Dear Martin which I loved.