Reviews tagging 'Violence'

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

160 reviews

aclancy974's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Im a few years behind on this book but it has maintained its exceptional yet heart wrenching story since it went viral. The narrator did an amazing job bringing the story to life and I especially liked the multi-lingual aspect. I’ll recommend this to everyone 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Deportation

fabergegirl's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Violence, Mass/school shootings, and Murder

Moderate: Gore, Miscarriage, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

amateur_bookworm's review against another edition

informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

My summary:

Cartel violence shatters Lydia’s serene life in Acapulco when her entire family is massacred at her niece’s quinceañera, leaving only her and her eight year old son, Luca, as survivors. Lydia’s husband, Sebastián, was a journalist covering the cartels in their state. And Lydia had unwittingly befriended a customer, Javier, in her bookstore who turned out to be the cartel leader. Sebastián just recently published an exposé of Javier being the head of the cartel. And now, in the wake of this tragedy, Lydia and Luca must leave everything behind and flee towards the US, the only place Lydia feels they may be safe from Javier’s reach. 

My thoughts: 

The horrific opening scene pulled me so deeply and immediately into this story. This book is tragic and heartbreaking and I was riddled with anxiety the entire time for Lydia and Luca, as well as the girls they meet along the way. 

This was tough to read but also I could hardly put it down. It felt a bit like driving past a terrible car accident when you can’t help but stare at it. 

This is not a light-hearted or feel-good story, but I was completely engrossed despite the macabre theme. It’s very insightful and there is a bit of hope woven through the tragedy. It’s a tough topic and it’s handled well. It really makes me more empathic to people fleeing the only lives they’ve ever known for a chance at a safer and better place. 

Mostly, this book makes me really thankful to have the privilege of having been born in the US and lived here my entire life. As much as this country has become somewhat of a disgrace to me recently, this book is a pretty stark reminder that it’s still one of the safest countries in the world to live in. I definitely have a deeper appreciation of the struggle that migrants endure on their journey, knowing the odds are stacked against them to simply set foot on the soil in this country that I definitely take for granted. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Classism, and Deportation

zara89's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Murder, and Cultural appropriation

Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

mel_bee_421's review against another edition

sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation

mollykfinn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Violence, and Xenophobia

ngoodenb's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Classism, and Deportation

Minor: Violence, Trafficking, Stalking, and War

bvanness428's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Trafficking, Death of parent, Murder, and Deportation

jenniferbbookdragon's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Lydia and her son Luca are the heart of this story of love, loss, and the brutal reality of drug cartel violence in Mexico. By centering a middle class family,  Cummins makes it clear no one is safe when a community is taken over and draws the stark contrast between their previous lives and their new ones traveling to the United States border alongside other migrants. The journey is more harrowing than most of us are aware of, and we get to know other stories through the people they meet along the way. 
A heart-pounding look at the fact that the people anxious to cross the border are individuals with complex histories,  not a mob of faceless "invaders" as some political leaders have claimed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Stalking, Sexual harassment, and Deportation

ailbheclaire's review against another edition

tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, and War