American Dirt: The Good, The Bad, and The Controversy

I went into American Dirt knowing there was a bit of controversy over the fact that a white author had penned a novel about the Mexican experience.

About the Book and the Controversy

American Dirt tells the story of a Mexican woman and her son who flee to the United States to escape a drug cartel. While the book was initially well-received and widely promoted, it faced criticism from some members of the Latinx community for its portrayal of Mexican immigrants and its appropriation of experiences and cultural representations that the author does not personally share.

I have no strong feelings on this issue and believe everyone has the right to tell the story they want to tell. And so I went into this book hoping that the writing and story would be powerful enough to silence the controversial buzz around it.

American Dirt Review

Alas! I ended up not liking the book much at all.

I believe the issue is how the book is positioned in the market. It is being marketed as literary fiction but I don’t think it fits that category. This reads more like a generic thriller novel from the likes of John Grisham, Vince Flynn, or the like, with a bit of Mexican seasoning thrown in.

I now understand where all the criticism came from. The Mexican atmosphere is non-existent, and the language in the Spanish excerpts is simple (so simple that even I, with my beginner Spanish, could understand it without any trouble).

I read it and enjoyed it, ok. But now, looking back, I don’t see anything extraordinary. The characters are stereotypical, and some (such as the narcotic drug lord Javier) are ludicrously villainous. The entire book is a non-stop villain vs. heroine chase.

I can only think this book became so popular because it provided a liberal counterpoint to the wall that Trump raised between USA and Mexico. And while I wouldn’t say I approve of the wall, I am not sure this book offers any reasonable argument against it. All it is is a high-octane chase novel; I might enjoy a movie based on the book, but the book itself is mediocre.

The characters are hysterical, the plot threadbare, and the writing average. Overall, this book was a disappointment.