Our score
Excellent
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American Dirt Audiobook by Jeanine Cummins— narrated by Yareli Arizmendi
Jeanine Cummins's American Dirt follows a bookseller and her young son as they flee Acapulco after a cartel massacre, becoming two more people among thousands crossing Mexico by rail toward a border that may not save them.
Why the audiobook wins
Yareli Arizmendi narrates American Dirt, and having a Mexican actress read it settles a question the print edition leaves open on every page. The Spanish is spoken rather than italicized. Acapulco, Lydia's bookshop, the names of the towns along the rail line are all pronounced by someone to whom they are not foreign, and the novel stops sounding translated.
It is also a book about relentless forward motion, which suits listening. Lydia and Luca are moving for almost seventeen hours: the cartel behind them, La Bestia under them, a border ahead that may not take them. There is no natural place to stop, and the format does not offer you one.
Seventeen hours, one mother, one eight-year-old, one train. One Audible credit covers the recording.
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Audiobook questions
- Who narrates the American Dirt audiobook?
- Yareli Arizmendi narrates the audiobook edition of American Dirt.
- How long is the American Dirt audiobook?
- The audiobook runs 16 hr 43 min.
- Is the American Dirt audiobook worth listening to?
- We scored American Dirt 4.4 out of 5. Yareli Arizmendi narrates American Dirt, and having a Mexican actress read it settles a question the print edition leaves open on every page. The Spanish is spoken rather than italicized. Acapulco, Lydia's bookshop, the names of the towns along the rail line are all pronounced…
- Can I listen to American Dirt free with an Audible trial?
- Eligible new Audible members can use a free-trial credit to listen in the Audible app. Eligibility and current offer terms are set by Audible.Listen to American Dirt free with an Audible trial
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- Is American Dirt on Kindle Unlimited?
- Yes. American Dirt was included with Kindle Unlimited when we last checked on July 22, 2026.
