American Dirt

Storyline: 4 Stars

I knew that this book was about immigration from Mexico, but other than that, I didn’t really have many expectations or thoughts about it. I knew that it would probably be controversial based on all the reviews.

Overall, I thought it was a good book looking at the issues from a human point of view. I will admit, I don’t know my own political views on the immigration problem which is probably why I could read it with an open mind. I tend to be more moderate about the issue–we should prevent drugs from coming over the border but I think our immigration policy needs reform so that it is easier for normal people to migrate. The book confirmed all of those thoughts. I don’t want cartels and drugs here and I think it should be easier for upstanding people to come into the country.

Of course, there was more to the storyline than politics. I do think at times the story was exaggerated. Since the author has not experienced immigration herself, it seemed that she fit every sad story that she could find and put it into one book to give the reader a view of every part of migration while still having the characters succeed. That is why I took a star away. It was very melodramatic and it was hard fully believing a story like that coming from someone who had not experienced it themselves.

Parental Guidance: 55% Recommend

I would recommend this book 55% of the time. There was a lot of violence and disturbing scenes and parts, which is why I would not recommend a minor reading the book. There was graphic violence, rape, drugs, swearing, and a lot of other things that would be associated with gangs and cartels. It did make an impact, but it was disturbing at times and it would not be for everyone to read. I would caution anyone wanting to read this book and consider if that content is something that they are okay with.

Real Book Chat

Spoilers Ahead

As I said above, my thoughts about immigration did not really change reading this book, although I get the feeling that was what was intended. It was a little off-putting that the author put every single sad thing she had heard and put it into one book because she was trying to get a point across. She hammered it in, and the unfortunate thing is that other readers might read that and think that the author is trying to make a point instead of making it realistic to immigration as a whole.

Immigration is a tough subject. As someone who comfortably lives in the United States, I don’t know the whole story. I have always viewed immigrants like the characters in this book as people. My biggest thing that I struggle with is how do we make a process that is easier for someone trying to migrate for a better life but still prevent drugs and those associated with drugs cross over? That’s the problem, and unfortunately the book did not help with that caution because the cartel drama was very strong.