Finished: American Dirt (Cummins) Heartbreaking story of the grueling journey of a Mexican mother and her young son, Luca, as they flee the imminent danger of the cartel in Acapulco and attempt to migrate to the United States. Lydia works at a bookstore, and her husband is a journalist, who writes an expose about the local, very powerful, and very ruthless leader of the cartel in their area. When the cartel leader orders the execution of her entire family at her niece's Quinceanera, Lydia and Luca miraculously escape harm when they just happen to leave the party and go into the house so Luca can use the restroom. Sixteen of her family members lay slain in the courtyard, including her mother, her husband, her sister, nieces, and nephews. Without the time to grieve them for a single minute, Lydia throws some essentials into a backpack, takes her mother's purse that contains their family money, and runs with Luca. What ensues is their dangerous, horrific journey to the north....learning the ropes from other migrants...riding on tops of trains, putting their lives in the hands of a "coyote" to smuggle them across the border...constantly looking over their shoulders for the cartel to find them. Lydia and Luca meet two teenage sisters on the journey, and they become like family. Most of the other migrants are helpful as well, but there are always a few bad seeds in any good bunch that add to the terror of the journey. This is a beautifully written story, and one that hit very close to home in terms of current events, as Lydia and Luca witness the huge wall with barbwire fence, cameras and border patrol in  the cities along the border which prevent them from crossing over to the U.S. They hear first hand stories from people who have lived in the U.S. for years, but who have just recently been deported, while their children, who are American citizens, are permitted to stay behind. The plight of these people is brought to heart wrenching light in a powerfully written book.