AMERICAN DIRT

Narrator Yareli Arizmendi illuminates the humanity and individuality of Latin American migrants as they flee toward refuge in the North. Lydia Perez's life is upended when a drug cartel brutally massacres her family, leaving her and her 8-year-old son, Luca, the sole survivors. Desperate to escape the pursuing cartel, Lydia and Luca embark on a harrowing journey north. With measured pacing and superb characterizations, Arizmendi communicates the ferocious intensity of the journey while also bringing out the grace of the battered and brave individuals whom they encounter. The account of Lydia and Luca's travails, including terrifying rides atop Mexico's freight trains, is utterly compelling. But it is Arizmendi's voicing of Lydia, so full of fierce tenderness, that will stay with listeners after the story's close. S.A.H. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2020]