Myriam Gurba’s takedown of Jeanine Cummins’ book American Dirt comes from genuine frustration that many Mexican Americans like me have. While I’ll always be grateful for the opportunities that the United States and New York in particular have provided for me, it’s foolish to think that it’s some type of post-racial utopian society.

Jeanine Cummins book American Dirt tells the story of a Mexican mother and her children crossing the border and their chase for a better life. While this premise makes for insightful commentary on illegal immigration and the state of racial relations, Gurba argues that the novel treats the United States as heaven itself. She goes on to say “Step aside, Jesucristo. There’s a new savior in town. Her name is Jeanine.” This is made worse when Gurba reveals that Cummins didn’t identify as Latinx until a few years ago.

I enjoyed reading this article very much. It’s fiery and doesn’t hold back against Cummins and her novel. It feels like Gurba’s is just venting her frustrations out and less like a formal academic/professional piece of writing. I agree wholeheartedly that there is lots of “fake-ass” activism around that tries to expose issues of race or class but ends up very self-serving to the authors. Seeing it being called out like this is important.

Extra props to Gurba for including her sexual assault experience that must be excruciating for her to remember, let alone write about.

 

QUESTIONS

  • What are some pieces of literature that portray the immigrant American experience well and accurately?
  • Has any of this been brought to Jeanine Cummins’ attention?