I’ve always found the more intense a storyline is, the longer it takes to read. I had to keep pausing to absorb the story of Luca & Lydia. It was powerful, it was traumatic, it was humbling... As a person who finds violence deeply uncomfortable, I could have allowed myself to quit this one a few times as I saw the predictive way the author swerved the story, but I pushed on & I’m glad I persevered. Cummins writes in a way that strongly alludes to the terrible hardships, without allowing you into the full visual horror of their experiences, I was transported into a world I’m deeply unfamiliar with & my heart was an anxious mess as I devoured the pages. #americandirt was a truly profound novel that I feel has changed me in some way.