Reviews tagging 'Murder'

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

172 reviews

lmkennedy's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

2.0

I picked this book up because it was immediately available on Libby and had such a high star rating. However, this book is receiving only 2 stars from me, not because I didn’t enjoy it but because by the end I knew something was amiss and in doing so looked into the author. I find it alarming when people choose to try and represent a community they are not a part of, even if it is done in earnest; simply because it leads to stereotypes and misinformation. Cummins writes an extremely dramatic telling of migration out of Mexico to escape cartel violence, and yet is not Mexican, nor a migrant. While I have no doubt doing the proper work to write a story that isn’t your own, credit and compensation are due to those that provide that insight. While it sounds as though Cummins gives minimal credit to those she interviewed, it does not go beyond that. Migration stories ARE dangerous for a number of reasons and taking people’s stories to retell them in a fake, overblown manner doesn’t help with the problem, nor does it help those who provided you the insight you needed to craft the story. 

This book had me often recalling the plot line of yellow face. There may be some people out there thankful for the representation regardless of who it comes from, but when it ultimately comes down to it, someone with real life experiences, even if it just having lived in Mexico (Cummins has not) can write a better, more truthful, narrative about migrants; one that likely deserves the money and press this one did. 

I am not going to list book suggestions in place of this book, because many latinx authors and reviewers already have but I highly suggest going that direction if you are interested in this material. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Murder, and Deportation

Moderate: Body horror

saintlybernard's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Minor: Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Trafficking

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

kenna123's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Murder, and Abandonment

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

j_hamps's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense fast-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Murder

mothergoosie3's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Death of parent, and Murder

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

montana_cole's review against another edition

emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Heart wrenching and eye opening to the struggles and plight of those seeking a safer and better life. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Mass/school shootings, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, and Deportation