Nicky Nicholson-Klingerman's Reviews > American Dirt

Did we read the same book? Did you read her profile? She is married to a former undocumented immigrant. She certainly is no racist.

Leanna, you can be married to a POC and still be racist. “I have black friends so I can’t be racist” is a common line for people who don’t want to acknowledge their racism

Hey Nicky and Griffin. She was born in Spain. She is latinx. So quick to toss out such horrible accusations. Shame on you. How about you do a little research before your diarrhea of the keyboard

Leanna, her husband is a WHITE man from IRELAND. Chad, she self-identifies as "white." She is not Latina.

“...trauma porn that wears a social justice fig leaf.”
Well put. Thanks for sharing original review.

You all realize that most Latinxs self-identify as “yt,” right? Latinx isn’t a race, it’s a cultural heritage (although Anglo-White supremacists would have you believe otherwise). Latinxs come from various racial backgrounds. Do some research next time before posting something so ignorant.

europeans can’t be latinos, that’s all.

Spanish folks are European ergo white people. It’s not a hard concept.

LOL at all the white people saying "but, but, but..." stop talking over people of color. If they say something is problematic, shut up and listen instead of defending the person responsible.

Hey Chad Heisle, Latin@ is the short for Latin@american@, people who live in Latinoamérica, and Latinoamérica is form by all the countries in AMÉRICA that speak Romance languages that come from Latín, so people in México, Colombia, Argentina, Brasil, etc., are Latin@s too. I've seen so many people use this word to talk about race, but is just a geographical concept. Now, Spain is not in Latinoamérica, is it?
Any way, this chisme only makes me want to read the book 😂😂😂

It’s FICTION! Where on earth does she claim to be the main character??? 🙄

Its fiction, not a memoir.

Norma Iglesias-Prieto, a professor of Chicano and Chicana studies at San Diego State University. According to Cummins, Iglesias-Prieto told her, “We need as many voices as we can get.” (Iglesias-Preto recently told The Los Angeles Times that “everyone has the right to write about a particular topic even if you are not part of this community.”)

@jillian are you Latinx? Don’t assume that we all identify as white, honestly don’t make assumptions about us period. And if you are, speak for yourself and yourself only.

Marie wrote: "Norma Iglesias-Prieto, a professor of Chicano and Chicana studies at San Diego State University. According to Cummins, Iglesias-Prieto told her, “We need as many voices as we can get.” (Iglesias-Pr..."

Yes--writers can write about anything they want to write about. That is something we should uphold in this clampdown society, where every utterance is up for inspection. However, any writer that does not do his or her research can ruin their project. You are creating a world that has its own internal logic and authenticity is key. I just read a book about espionage (something I know nothing about). The author did his due diligence and investigated it thoroughly and intelligently. It didn't feel off. If he had written a book about aboriginals, I'm sure he would have done the same thing. They are a real community and deserve an author's respect. For whatever reason, Cummins failed in that regard, so those of us who know that world will be taken out of the reading experience. That's too bad. I want to read it and probably will, but it will feel odd to come across the passages that are laughably wrong. Fiction doesn't mean "anything goes'. It has to do with world building and good writers understand that. I do object to the way Cummins is being talked about and treated by some self righteous blowhards though. It's extreme and scary. They sound like they want her head on a pike.

Sylvia well said.

🙄

Ps- her husband is IRISH. Getting undocumented and white is a much different experience. She withheld that info and conveniently decided to call herself Latina NOW even though she identified as white as recently as 2 years ago. One Puerto Rican grandma doesn't automatically make you Latina, since she explained in 2016 that for all intentions, she and her family were white.

The book is also stealing from real Latinx authors who lived experiences, wrote about them, and she repurposed and poorly wrote scenes based on it.

And to anyone who was riveted or "couldn't put it down" sorry, but you do have racist stereotypes and you truly need to look deep inside yourselves over your obsession for white saviors.

I kinda wanna read it as an experiment

Stop stomping on white people. Thanks.

I don't think that is the intention of the people that are writing here. This is not a stomping on yours or mine. This is about calling someone on his/her racial ideas that are fueled by ignorance due to propaganda.

Edward, does it seem MG is riding the coat tails of American Dirt to profit by stearing readers to her own materials?
(Or is it just me?) Spreading hate and false information to cash in.

Because of all of the controversy, I cannot wait to buy this book. I had no intention of buying it before, but it is getting so much buzz.

Oh brother...

Big Oof.

Your the racist

Rich
*You're not your

That's a lot of words for "I didn't read it and let others make decisions for me."

Married to an IRISH immigrant lol anyway, my Mexican ass is reading this and is just another racist trashy book. If she truly cared and wanted to write about the migrant experience she should have done actual frigging research instead of whatever this is.

Are you far Meishuu?

What a completely pathetic review. You must be terribly jealous.

Meishuu wrote: "Married to an IRISH immigrant lol anyway, my Mexican ass is reading this and is just another racist trashy book. If she truly cared and wanted to write about the migrant experience she should have ..."

called fiction honey

Rich,

I think the issue is the execution of the fictional piece.

Debbie

People are entitled to their opinion.

Debbie 👍

Did you actually read the book or are you relying on this other review by someone who admits to staring out hating it before even reading it?

The only one sounding racist is you Nicky.

You didn’t read this book. Try reading the book.

I will give book a try and then will share my opinion!

In the book it says her grandmother came here from Puerto Rico. So she isn’t white. You can probably take that out of your review.

Lol. Some Puerto Ricans are white🤣. I would know. My mom is pale and is Puerto Rican.

I am almost done with this book -this is a great book

So, you didn't like it because of the colour of the authors skin? Very progressive.

Rich,

Review it when you are done.

I did review it-it is a great book.

I’m so tired of self-righteous people acting insulted by the author’s “audacity” to write a work of fiction about this topic. So we should now chastise adults from writing in the point of view of a child? No LBGTQ+ can have a heterosexual character because it’s “sexual orientation appropriation”? See how ridiculous you all sound? Now actually read the book. You might like it once you get off the cultural appropriation bandwagon.

Jeez it’s fiction, not a memoir or biography. Since when can an author only write fiction she’s lived? What a crock of shit. How would all you holier than thou would be censors like the suggestion that Latina authors can’t write fiction about any other background that they haven’t lived?

Sharon, WE CAN'T. You white folks don't buy them because in order to be looked at as humans in white people (especially white women's) eyes, Latinx and other POC stories have to be filled with trauma.

And btw, saying "it's fiction" is 10000% an act of microaggression and white privilege. You can read it and love it, but just know what it says about you. No one but Latinx people can claim this isn't racist...because it only affects us.

All I see here is a bunch of white people getting in their feelings and doing the most to protect and uphold a stereotype. Say whatever excuse you want, you're only telling on yourselves.

Whst complete utter bullshit yolanda

Read it then make your criticism - characters don’t work, plot holes, clunky dialogue, etc. But anyone who hasn’t, has zero credibility.