I put American Dirt on my early 2020 reading list before I knew of any controversy and because it was promoted as “The Grapes of Wrath for our times.”
And the controversy, which I do understand, doesn’t change the fact that, for me, American Dirt was a great read. Meaning that I could have been accused of ignoring everyone and anything else while I finished it over this past weekend. The last novels I remember being so consuming are This Tender Land and Where the Crawdads Sing. So for me, this novel is in good company based on the personal experience I had reading it.
This story follows a mom and her 8-year-old son as they flee Acapulco for the United States. Along this difficult journey, a good part of which is accomplished by riding on the top of freight trains, they meet good and evil. Much of it reads like a thriller as they are tracked by a drug lord who also happens to be the mom’s literary soul mate…
I love stories of journey – like This Tender Land – and I followed along with the map inside the cover as they made their way north. Though super literary jefe (drug lord) character was unbelievable for me, I accepted it as part of a fictional story.
So now to address the controversy, which stems from the author Jeanine Cummins being born in the U.S. with no Mexican or Latin American heritage. Critics and people who know more than me (and apparently her) about Mexican culture, immigrant experiences, migrant crossings, drug cartels, etc. point out that she got a lot of things wrong. Critics wish we would read more authentic immigrant stories instead of this one. This is not a complete list of issues people have taken up with this book.
These points are not lost on me, but I am still glad I read the book, and I would still recommend it. I also think it’s important to be a good citizen of reading and current events and thus be aware of the criticisms about certain aspects of the story and to read other fiction and non fiction that can tell more authentic stories.
For what it’s worth to the critics and everyone else: Though I already did consider myself to be so, the book made me even more compassionate towards the migrant experience and more interested in reading more of such experiences. I hope everyone can agree that’s a good thing.