Good god.I know there's a real hornet's nest of controversy buzzing around this book (about cultural appropriation, misappropriation, racism in the publishing industry, Oprah and her sticker of doom, a book launch decorated with barbed wire, a white author writing a story for other white people so they can feel better about themselves and more enlightened about the plight of Mexican migrants, and so on).But I'm not going to wade into that. I'm a Canuck up here in snowy Montreal, and it's probabl...

I doubt there's a single person on Goodreads who hasn't heard at least a whisper about the controversy surrounding this book. I'm also confident that nearly every reader has at least a basic idea of the plot of *American Dirt*. So, I'm not really going to delve into either of those aspects in my review. I'm a white woman living in upstate New York, thousands of miles from Mexico. I have no real personal experience with the Mexican migrant issue, and therefore can't say whether Jeanine Cummins' *...

Nope. https://gay.medium.com/white-fever-dr... [This is a very short review for "American Dirt" by Jeanine Cummins. Given the brevity, SEO optimization is limited. The tone is blunt and negative, which is preserved.]

I was eager to read "American Dirt" because of the glowing reviews and high ratings from several Goodreads friends I trust. But right before I dove in, I became aware of the criticisms swirling around it in both literary circles and the press. I decided to hold off on reading any of those articles until I finished the book. You should read the criticisms yourself and decide if "American Dirt" is worth your time. Despite all the controversy, I found "American Dirt" to be absolutely riveting, inf...

YES...YES...YES!!! READ IT!That beginning is gripping!!!The most anticipated novel for 2020 – *American Dirt* has stirred up a lot of controversy.I wasn’t even aware of the controversial issues until yesterday. As pure FICTION - it’s sooooo engaging!! “In a different life, he could have been someone good.”“This isn’t a different life.” Much to engage your thinking...How in the world does one debate the degrees of violence? This novel GRABS OUR ATTENTION.It changes something inside us! Plus... It...

I wish I could give this book negative stars because, as its title attests, *American Dirt* is dirt.

It is also profoundly racist.

Here is my essay about the dissent surrounding this book, dissent that is being erased, disappeared, and silenced:

https://tropicsofmeta.com/2019/12/12/... This *American Dirt* review highlights serious concerns about the novel by Jeanine Cummins.

Utterly racist book about Mexico written by a white woman. Sooooooooooooooooo tired of white people pretending like they understand. Stop telling our stories through your horribly racist, oppressive lenses. Please read a real review:
https://tropicsofmeta.com/2019/12/12/... Seriously, if you're looking for authentic voices and perspectives, skip "American Dirt" by Jeanine Cummins. There are countless book reviews out there highlighting the problematic nature of this novel.

BECAUSE SOME OF YOU ATTACKING ME IN THE COMMENTS SEEM UNABLE TO CLICK ON MY NAME TO FIND THIS OUT...I am Mexican American.I DON'T READ THE COMMENTS ANYMORE [clearly I was reading them early on, as you can see on the first few PAGES of comments]. Feel free to chat amongst yourselves, though![edit]For a deeper, more nuanced conversation from a panel of Mexican American poets, professors, bloggers, librarians, poets laureate ... watch this video: https://youtu.be/O3UrtFJtAYQAlso, as part of the #Di...

What a mind-blowing start to a book! A mother, Lydia, and her little boy, Luca, hid in the bathtub, desperate to avoid becoming more victims of a family massacre. Contract killers, the most dangerous drug lord’s dirtbags, kept searching for them, firing guns, calling their names. Finally, they thought the pair weren’t home and left, leaving sixteen innocent victims behind. Now, mother and son must flee the country to stay alive, because one of the most powerful men is hunting them, determined t...

Okay, it seems like a bunch of privileged 'let me show you how woke I am' white people have decided they can speak for the Latin community. This is a work of FICTION. Google it if you don't understand. The author owes you nada. Move on. Get over yourself. Fuck off.To say that a non-Latina has no right to write about Latin issues is absurd. Tell that to all of the writers of WWII fiction. Again with that word: fiction. Any book that shines a light on a dark subject is a good thing. Any book that ...