American Dirt
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Jeanine Cummins |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fiction; Hispanic American literature and fiction |
| Publisher | Flatiron Books |
Publication date | January 21, 2020 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Hardcover, Kindle Edition, Audio CD |
| Pages | 400 pages (hardcover) |
| ISBN | 978-1250209764 |
American Dirt is a 2020 novel by American author Jeanine Cummins, about the ordeal of a Mexican woman who had to leave behind her life and escape as an undocumented immigrant to the United States with her son.
Plot
Lydia Quixano Perez lives a comfortable life in Acapulco, Mexico, with her journalist husband, Sebastian, and her son, Luca. Lydia runs a bookstore and one day befriends a charming customer, Javier, who appears to have similar interests in books. However, Javier is revealed to be the kingpin of a drug cartel.
Sebastian publishes a profile exposing Javier's crimes. Javier then orders the slaughter of Sebastian and his family. Forced to flee Mexico, Lydia and Luca became two of the countless undocumented immigrants from Latin America who are forced to embark on a dangerous journey to the United States.
Distinctions and recognition
On January 20, 2020: Oprah Winfrey announced that she had selected American Dirt for her book club.[1][2][3]
Reception
American Dirt received a mixed reception. Despite initial positive reviews, it has also been widely criticized for its inaccurate portrayal of Mexico and Mexicans.
Oprah Winfrey, in selecting American Dirt for her book club, said, "Jeanine Cummins accomplished a remarkable feat, literally putting us in the shoes of migrants and making us feel their anguish and desperation to live in freedom."[4] The book also received glowing reviews from Mexican-American writer Sandra Cisneros, who called it "the great novel of las Americas" and "the international story of our time"[5] and Washington Post critic Polly Rosenwaike, who wrote that it "offers both a vital chronicle of contemporary Latin American migrant experience and a profoundly moving reading experience." NPR's Maureen Corrigan was equally positive, writing that "Cummins' novel brings to life the ordeal of individual migrants, who risk everything to try to cross into the U.S."[6]
Myriam Gurba was one of the first reviewers to give a negative review. Originally requested by Ms Magazine, her review was considered too negative but was ultimately published in Tropics of Meta. She says of the protagonist, "That Lydia is so shocked by her country's day to day realities ... gives the impression that Lydia may not be ... a credible Mexican. In fact, she perceives her own country through the eyes of pearl-clutching American tourist."[7] In Medium, writer David Bowles called the book "harmful, appropriating, inaccurate, trauma-porn melodrama."[8]
USA Today's Barbara VanDenburgh called the book "problematic". She wrote, "American Dirt positions itself as the great sociopolitical novel of our era. Instead, it reeks of opportunism, substituting characters arc for mere trauma ... These character, story and style missteps would be problematic no matter the source. But it matters in this case that the source is a European-born woman in the U.S. without ties to Mexican migrant experience."[9]
The New York Times published conflicting reviews of the book. On January 17, 2020, Parul Sehgal wrote on the daily Books of the Times section, "this peculiar book flounders and fails." Two days later, Times Book Review published a review from Lauren Groff that said the book "was written with good intentions, and like all deeply felt books, it calls its imagined ghost into the reader's real flesh."[7][10] Still, Groff questions herself, writing, "I was sure I was the wrong person to review this book."[11] On Twitter, later the same day of publication, Groff called her review "deeply inadequate" and called the situation a nightmare.[11][12]
Controversy and fallout
Due to widespread criticism several bookstores cancelled appearances with Cummins to promote her book. On January 29, 2020, Flatiron Books cancelled Cummins book tour citing threats to Cummins. In the same statement they apologized for using barbed wire decorations at the launch of the book.[13]
That same day 82 writers signed an open letter to Oprah asking her to reconsider her endorsement of the book. A further 39 writers endorsed the letter after publication bringing the total to 121. The signatories included Valeria Luiselli, Daniel Olivas, Tommy Orange and Rebecca Solnit.[14][15]
Film adaptation
The novel has been optioned for a film adaptation by Charles Leavitt and Imperative Entertainment.[7][10]
References
- ^ Haber, Leigh (2020-01-21). "Oprah Announces New Oprah's Book Club Pick: American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins". Oprah Magazine. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
- ^ "Oprah Winfrey wades into 'American Dirt' controversy with her book club pick". Los Angeles Times. 2020-01-21. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
- ^ January 21, CBS News; 2020; Am, 8:46. "Oprah reveals "American Dirt" by Jeanine Cummins as new book club pick". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
{{cite web}}:|last2=has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Oprah's Book Club: The complete list". www.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
- ^ "American Dirt (Oprah's Book Club) | Jeanine Cummins | Macmillan". US Macmillan. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
- ^ "To Stand Still Is To Die: A New Novel Follows Migrants To 'American Dirt'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
- ^ a b c Hampton, Rachelle (2020-01-21). "Why Everyone's Angry About American Dirt". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
- ^ Amatulli, Jenna (2020-01-21). "This Is The Controversy Behind Oprah's Latest Book Club Pick, 'American Dirt'". HuffPost. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
- ^ VanDenburgh, Barbara. "Jeanine Cummins' migrant book 'American Dirt' is problematic; author's note makes it worse". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
- ^ a b Alter, Rebecca (2020-01-21). "Why Is Everyone Arguing About the Novel American Dirt?" Vulture.com. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
- ^ a b Grady, Constance (2020-01-22). "The controversy over the new immigration novel American Dirt, explained". Vox. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
- ^ Shephard, Alex (2020-01-22). "How Not to Write a Book Review". The New Republic. ISSN 0028-6583. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
- ^ Grady, Constance. "American Dirt's publisher cancels the rest of the book's tour, citing threats". Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- ^ "Dear Oprah Winfrey: 94 Writers Ask You to Reconsider American Dirt". Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- ^ https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/29/us/american-dirt-jeanine-cummins-author-tour-cancel-trnd/index.html