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American Dirt

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American Dirt

By: Jeanine Cummins
Narrated by: Yareli Arizmendi
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About this listen

FEAR KEEPS THEM RUNNING.

HOPE KEEPS THEM ALIVE.

Vivid, visceral, utterly compelling, American Dirt is the first novel to explore the experience of attempting to illegally cross the US-Mexico border. Described as 'impossible to put down' (Saturday Review) and 'essential reading' (Tracy Chevalier), it is a story that will leave you utterly changed.

Yesterday, Lydia had a bookshop.

Yesterday, Lydia was married to a journalist.

Yesterday, she was with everyone she loved most in the world.

Today, her eight-year-old son Luca is all she has left.

For him, she will carry a machete strapped to her leg.

For him, she will leap onto the roof of a high speed train.

For him, she will find the strength to keep running.

An Oprah's Bookclub Pick

As featured on Saturday Review

A BBC Radio 2 Bookclub Pick

Soon to be a BBC Radio 4 Book At Bedtime

A Book to Look Out For in the Observer, Stylist, Sunday Times, Independent, Vogue, New York Times, Oprah magazine, and more.

A Barnes and Noble Bookclub Pick

©2020 Jeanine Cummins (P)2020 Macmillan Audio Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Political Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Exciting Heartfelt Scary Tear-jerking Fiction

Critic reviews

"One hell of a novel about a good woman on the run with her beautiful boy." (Stephen King)

"I couldn't put it down. I'll never stop thinking about it." (Ann Patchett)

"It's been a long time since I turned pages as fast as I did with American Dirt. Its journey is a testament to the power of fear and hope and belief that there are more good people than bad." (John Grisham)
All stars
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American Dirt.....WOW....what a story! The book is so beautifully written.
Cummins is a very talented and imaginative writer.
She may not be Mexican nor an Immigrant and the story may not be completely accurate.... BUT this is a story that must be told in any way possible.
I am ashamed I hesitated to purchase this powerful book because of the negative media surrounding it.

There are no superlatives perfect enough to describe the wonderful narrator, her beautiful voice lingers on long after I stop listening, I feel I have lived and witnessed this whole journey.

Oh Dios mío I love this book!

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This is an amazingly read, incredibly written, desperate story of violence, grief and the absolutely primal love of a Mother for her child.
The characters will stay with me for a long time, all of them believable, as were the situations that they found themselves in.

I highly recommend this book, but be prepared for a 'journey'

An Absolutely Incredible Book

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A beautifully written, almost poetic story of love, survival, empathy, fear, the horror of the human psyche entwined with a humanity so deep; this makes compelling listening. Hard to break away from. You're there with every one of Lydia and Luca's urgent, cautious, terrified steps. Observations of the tiniest of details of real life brings this story into your mind like you're witnessing it in the first person. Not sure I'll watch the film when it's released, I can't imagine it could do this book justice.

Gripping and important.

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Wow, what a book! I'm struggling for the right words. One of the best books I've ever bought, and the narration is perfect. Although long, I'm sad I'm at the end of it and have to leave the characters behind. They will undoubtedly stay with me.

Incredible!

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I absolutely loved this book. It made me feel all sorts of emotions and the characters were so believable.
The narrator on audible was brilliant and really brought everything to life.

Wow! What a book!

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