It’s Been Five Years Since AMERICAN DIRT and I’m Still Salty

Vanessa Diaz, a writer and former bookseller from San Diego, CA, is the Managing Editor of Book Riot. She is known for her fast Spanish and enjoys creating travel plans and drinking a lot of tea. Vanessa co-hosts the All the Books podcast and has a passion for mysteries, gothic literature, mythology/folklore, and witchy topics. You can find her on Instagram at @BuenosDiazSD or taking photos of beautiful trees in Portland, OR, where she currently lives.

In January 2020, a book with a striking blue and white cover caught the attention of the literary community online. The cover featured a hummingbird design associated with the Aztec sun god Huitzilopochtli and intricate barbed wire patterns resembling Talavera tiles. The novel follows a bookstore owner from Acapulco, Mexico, who becomes a migrant with her son after a tragic incident involving a drug cartel. Their journey to the U.S. border, evading danger and forming bonds with other migrants, has earned the book praise as the ultimate immigration story. Celebrities like Salma Hayek and Sandra Cisneros have endorsed it, with Cisneros calling it “The Great Novel of Las Américas.”

Even after five years, this book continues to be a source of frustration for me. Access more details on this controversial novel by becoming an All Access member.