Dear Bookclub,
Jeanine Cummins' "American Dirt", released to critical acclaim, quickly became smudged in an unfortunate series of literary marketing posturing. Not to be deterred, (an Oprah selection!), (compelling topic!), (cool-looking cover!), we took on the read, debating both the content and the surrounding publishing circumstance. Lydia and Luca's suspenseful journey fired our passion and thought about the injustice and danger of the many situations motivating individual survival. The extreme circumstances, shockingly familiar in our knowledge of current events and eerily not so far removed, stung with discomfort. Our discussion tipped towards the literary controversy, as the novel's power held its own. We agreed that Cummins' book was well-written, clearly owned, and as Diane succinctly stated, "a novel - as announced in the title". No mal-intent by the author but a very interesting study of the ever-evolving business and marketing of books.
The controversy then and now:
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| New York Times, March 2020, Oprah's Book Club |
When asked whether she anticipated the negative reaction to it, Cummins said, “I definitely worried about this moment, about being called to account for having written the book.”
She said she regretted a widely criticized line in the book’s author’s note, in which she wrote that she wished someone “slightly browner” had written the story. Talking with Winfrey, Cummins called it a “clumsy phrase,” adding that it was “indicative of my own sort of grappling with my identity in these pages.”
Cummins also drew criticism for writing about her husband’s immigration to the U.S. from Ireland without noting his ethnicity. During the episode, she said his background was “absolutely relevant in why I was drawn to writing about immigration issues, and I felt like it was a thing that I wanted to mention,” but said she regretted conflating her husband’s experience with that of asylum seekers at the Mexico-U.S. border.
Oprah explained her decision in choosing the book and defended Cummins' right to write the book:
I fundamentally, fundamentally believe in the right of anyone to use their imagination and their skills to tell stories and to empathize with another story,” Winfrey said.
Please read more about this in Concepción de León's New York Times' article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/06/books/american-dirt-oprah-book-club-apple-tv.html
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| Cummins pre book tour cancellation |
By the end of January, fearing violent backlash, "The American Dirt" book tour was cancelled, including scheduled appearances by Cummins at our local Northern Trust's Literary Society events.
...and now:
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| from The New York Magazine Jan. 5, 2021 |
'Blurbed to Death
How one of publishing’s most hyped books became its biggest horror story — and still ended up a best seller."
Turns out the death threats were really just plans of protests outside of booksellers where Cummins would be reading. Sounds tame these days... but what did we know then about protests?!
Please enjoy:
https://www.vulture.com/article/american-dirt-jeanine-cummins-book-controversy.html
Back to our discussion, Martha pointed out that Lydia felt like a caricature of a white suburban woman and not a typical Mexican woman seeking to flee her country. I am sure she put this much more eloquently, but her point was well-taken and part of what much criticism of the book embodied. Lori recounted a visit she had made years ago to Acapulco, totally unaware of the dangerous environment, unsettled by witnessing armed protection in the midst of the vacation surroundings:
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| Acapulco: glamour to gunfire |
Finally, I must include an image of the library the Lydia and Luca visit in Mexico City as I adore libraries:
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Biblioteca Miguel Lerdo de Tejada |
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/biblioteca-miguel-lerdo-de-tejada
Kate's suggestions for an upcoming read:
"Anxious People" Fredrik Backman
"The Midnight Library" Matt Haig
"Maybe You Should Talk to Someone" Lori Gottleib
"The Guest List" Lucy Foley *chosen
Up next:
Happy reading,
LK
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