For me, the book that's stuck with me through this entire roller coaster of a year isĀ American Dirt. Ann Patchett's review was simple, to the point, and, for me, spot on: I'll never stop thinking about it. I was enthralled, engulfed, enraged by this book from the first sentence, and I remember the reading experience like it was yesterday. I would want to rush through the sentences to get to the next section -- but then an image, a description, a scene would grab me by the throat and I'd have to stop. And savor. And think, And, more than once, cry. This tale of a woman on the run reads like the best edge-of-your-seat thrillers; fast-paced with a truly memorable villain. This story of a mother's love and desperation breaks your heart in the best possible way -- and then heals it again, stronger in the broken places (a'la Hemingway). This novel's depiction of a gut-wrenching journey to America acts as a cultural flashpoint, sparking difficult thoughts and conversations for readers and industry professionals alike. I love this book. It's a book that I'd very much like the chance to read for the first time one more time.
— Laura Pennock Vice President, Distribution & Adult Mass Merch Sales, Macmillan
“American Dirt is a beautiful, heartbreaking odyssey, a vivid world filled with angels and demons, one I only wanted to leave so I could get my heart out of my throat. Cartel violence sends a mother and her son careening north from Acapulco toward the relative safety of the United States, and every moment of their journey is rendered in frantic, sublime detail. Danger lurks around the corner of every paragraph, but so does humanity, empathy, and stunning acts of human kindness. You will feel the toll of every mile, the cost of every bullet, and the power of every page. A wonder.”
— Thatcher Svekis, DIESEL, A Bookstore, Santa Monica, CA