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Community Reads Book Club Discussion: American Dirt
September 15, 2020 @ 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Free
Please join us as we read American Dirt. Published in January of 2020, this book has already sparked a national conversation not only about immigration, but also about the racial disparities among authors and who has the right to tell a story. We chose this book because we believe both topics are timely and warrant discussion in our community.
Our next discussion event will be held on Tuesday, September 15th, 4:00-5:30 PM at Rhino Coffee Uptown Patio (721 Southfield Road) and will be moderated by Michael Hicks, Assistant Professor of Education at Centenary College of Louisiana. Due to current restrictions, the original time has been moved up to 4:00 PM and only 20 spaces are available at the event. The discussion will be held outside on the back patio with chairs and tables spaced accordingly.
Learn more and sign up for Community Reads Book Club at cfnla.org/bookclub.
About the Book
Lydia Quixano Pérez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while there are cracks beginning to show in Acapulco because of the drug cartels, her life is, by and large, fairly comfortable.
Even though she knows they’ll never sell, Lydia stocks some of her all-time favorite books in her store. And then one day a man enters the shop to browse and comes up to the register with a few books he would like to buy—two of them her favorites. Javier is erudite. He is charming. And, unbeknownst to Lydia, he is the jefe of the newest drug cartel that has gruesomely taken over the city. When Lydia’s husband’s tell-all profile of Javier is published, none of their lives will ever be the same.
Forced to flee, Lydia and eight-year-old Luca soon find themselves miles and worlds away from their comfortable middle-class existence. Instantly transformed into migrants, Lydia and Luca ride la bestia—trains that make their way north toward the United States, which is the only place Javier’s reach doesn’t extend. As they join the countless people trying to reach el norte, Lydia soon sees that everyone is running from something. But what exactly are they running to?