The novel opens with Lydia and her eight year old son, Luca, hiding in the shower stall of his grandmother’s home in Acapulco while sixteen members of their family are murdered by the local cartel.  From that moment until the final pages of American Dirt, the two are on the run from this cartel, hoping to reach el norte( The United States) safely.  Their journey is at times horrifying, often dangerous, but Lydia and Luca also meet some warm, caring people along the way.

American Dirt is a timely page turner.  Cummins has written on an important topic with sympathetic characters and a well-planned plot.  I can’t imagine anyone NOT finding American Dirt a worthwhile read.