American Dirt is a fictional novel written by American author Jeanine Cummins,and was first published in January 2020 by Flatiron Books. The book has been optioned for film rights by Imperative Entertainment.
The story follows Lydia Quixano Pérez, a Mexican woman, who is forced to leave behind her life in Mexico after her husband exposes the dirty secrets of a kingpin of a drug cartel. She and her son are forced to take the deadly illegal journey unto the United States via freight train.
The book was highly anticipated, and was chosen to be a part of Oprah Winfrey’s book Club. It was also ranked as #1 on New York Times best sellers list. However, the book was received with mixed reactions. The Washington Post wrote that it "offers both a vital chronicle of contemporary Latin American migrant experience and a profoundly moving reading experience." Alternatively, The Guardian’s, Daniel Olivas, wrote "American Dirt is an insult to Latinx writers who have toiled – some of us for decades – to little notice of major publishers and book reviewers.”
