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- Sebastián’s article had a negative impact on Lydia’s life, as it ultimately led to the massacre of her family and forced her to flee from Los Jardineros.
- Lydia is a successful business owner and a loving mother who is forced to flee her home in the wake of certain events. Her experience challenges the stereotypes and prejudices about migrants in the United States by showing that they are not all criminals or “bad hombres,” as portrayed in some media and political rhetoric.
- The book refers to the idea that the journey to the United States is often perilous and difficult, as migrants must travel across dangerous terrain and face many obstacles.
- What role do you think the United States government and other Latin American countries should play in terms of providing assistance and protection to migrants, both legal and undocumented?
- Throughout the novel, Lydia thinks back on how, when she was living a middle-class existence, she viewed migrants with pity: “All her life she’s pitied those poor people.
- Sebastián persists in running his story on Javier even though he knows it will put him and his family in grave danger. Do you admire what he did? Was he a good journalist or a bad husband and father?
- Lydia looks at Luca and thinks to herself: “Migrante. She can’t make the word fit him. But that’s what they are now. This is how it happens” (chapter 10, page 94).
- When Lydia is at the Casa del Migrante, she learns the term cuerpomático --- “human ATM machine” --- and what it means. Were you surprised to learn how dangerous the passage is, and for female migrants in particular?
Nov 20, 2019 · American Dirt Reading Group Guide Welcome to the Reading Group Guide for American Dirt. Please note: In order to provide reading groups with the most informed and thought-provoking questions possible, it is necessary to reveal important aspects of the plot of this novel—as well as the ending. If you have not finished reading
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Mar 29, 2020 · Discuss the controversial novel about a Mexican mother and son fleeing to the U.S. with this book club guide. Explore the plot, the controversy, the characters, and the ending of American Dirt.
- The book starts off with the brutal killing of 16 members of Lydia’s family at her mother’s house for her niece’s quinceanera party. Did you think the horrific scene would set the tone for the book?
- In Chilpancingo, Lydia asks Sebastian’s friend Carlos for help. Carlos’ wife Meredith was reluctant to help transport Lydia and Luca on the missionary bus.
- When Lydia finds out that Javier is the jefe of Los Jardineros, the new drug cartel, she can’t reconcile the friend she knows to the jefe. How would you feel if you found out that a close friend turned out to be a dangerous drug lord?
- Before you read the book, did you know how perilous the journey to el norte would be? Would you take all of those risks to protect your child?
Welcome to the Reading Group Guide for American Dirt. Please note: In order to provide reading groups with the most informed and thought-provoking questions possible, it is necessary to reveal important aspects of the plot of this novel—as well as the ending.
Find discussion questions for Jeanine Cummins's bestselling novel American Dirt, an Oprah Book Club pick about a mother and son's journey from Mexico to the US. Download a printable PDF of the questions or join Bookclubs to organize your book club online.
