A new novel about a woman and her young son's harrowing trek across the U.S.-Mexico border, an Oprah Book Club pick, has drawn praise from several literary figures, but it has also stirred debate after being slammed as stereotypical and racist - NBCLatino
Gurba criticizes the novel for having an outsider's perspective of Mexico that perpetuates the stereotypes of a narco-state, one that would inspire President Donald Trump to say"this is why we must invade," writing that the main character, Lydia,"experiences shock after shock when confronted with the realities of México, realities that would not shock a Mexican."an associate professor of English with a focus on Latinx literature at the University of Texas at Austin.
“‘American Dirt’ is the continuation of a systemic problem that involves the publishing industry more broadly and the public need to consume particular kinds of stories about Mexicans, preferably ones that reinforce popular beliefs,” Perez said. “It ticks all of the boxes: a quinceañera, narcos, machetes, Día de Muertos, violence, and suffering, lots of suffering. It’s timely and does nothing to threaten the status quo.
Gurba and others note that while Cummins relies heavily on the work of other Latino authors — which Cummins notes in her acknowledgments — there are so few books by Latinos that receive the same level of support that “American Dirt” can have undue influence in promoting a distorted view of migration.
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