Gaithersburg READS: Start your engines!

By Jud Ashman | Published January 21, 2020

It starts today. Our first-ever GaithersburgREADS!

“What is #GaithersburgREADS?” you ask.

It’s essentially a giant book club that the whole community (i.e. everyone!) is invited to be a part of. We’re all going to read a great book, “American Dirt” by Jeanine Cummins, which comes out TODAY, and then on March 31, 7pm, at Gaithersburg High School, we’ll get together for a big discussion on the book with the author, and then she’ll be glad to sign everyone’s books. (We also have a very special surprise guest lined up for this program; stay tuned for announcements.)

Why should you be excited about this book?

It’s one of the most highly-anticipated titles of 2020.

Take a look at this book trailer and watch with the sound ON.

#1 Indie Next Pick for February
January 2020 Library Reads Pick
A Most-Anticipated Book of the Season/Year: The New York Times • O, The Oprah Magazine • Vogue • Marie Claire • Real Simple • Elle • Entertainment Weekly • Woman’s Day • Literary Hub • Parade • Chicago Tribune • The Washington Post • Time • Fast Company • Forbes • Esquire • USA Today • PopSugar • Bustle • The New York Times Book Review

“American Dirt is a literary novel with nuanced character development and arresting language; yet, its narrative hurtles forward with the intensity of a suspense tale. Its most profound achievement, though, is something I never could’ve been told…American Dirt is the novel that, for me, nails what it’s like to live in this age of anxiety, where it feels like anything can happen, at any moment.”
―Maureen Corrigan, NPR’s Fresh Air

“I strive to write page-turners because I love to read them, and it’s been a long time since I turned pages as fast as I did with American Dirt. Its plot is tight, smart, and unpredictable. Its message is important and timely, but not political. Its characters are violent, compassionate, sadistic, fragile, and heroic. It is rich in authenticity. Its journey is a testament to the power of fear and hope and belief that there are more good people than bad.”
―John Grisham

“American Dirt is both a moral compass and a riveting read. I couldn’t put it down. I’ll never stop thinking about it.”
―Ann Patchett, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Dutch House and Commonwealth

“American Dirt is an extraordinary piece of work, a perfect balancing act with terror on one side and love on the other. I defy anyone to read the first seven pages of this book and not finish it. The prose is immaculate, and the story never lets up. This book will be an important voice in the discussion about immigration and los migrantes; it certainly puts the lie to the idea that we are being besieged by ‘bad hombres.’ On a micro scale―the story scale, where I like to live―it’s one hell of a novel about a good woman on the run with her beautiful boy. It’s marvelous.”
―Stephen King

What’s the book about?

“American Dirt” is an immigrant tale. While fictional, it is a heavily researched depiction of a migrant’s journey.

We feel there’s a particular resonance for this story here in Gaithersburg, Montgomery County, Maryland, one of the most diverse areas in the United States. In fact, it is estimated that about 1/3 of those who live in the City of Gaithersburg were born in a country other than the United States; many of whom have immigrant stories of their own to tell.

Fun fact about the author

Jeanine Cummins is no stranger to Gaithersburg. She grew up here. She is a graduate of Gaithersburg High School (so our special event will also be a homecoming of sorts). And she is part of the GBF author family, having participated in our Festival a few years ago for her novel, “The Crooked Branch.”

After college, Jeanine moved to New York to work in the publishing industry and one day become a famous author. That ‘one day’ is here. “American Dirt” is about to make her a household name.