High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out - Amanda Ripley --------------------- 4 Stars

One can argue there are no books more relevant in the past couple of years than Amanda Ripley's High Conflict. Released a few months ago, the intent of this book is to have the reader better understand why people get into  massive arguments and disagreements with people and the ways to avoid or remedy these situations. While I really enjoyed the book, it was not because of the reasons I had expected.

I have written here before how much I have liked books by Malcolm Gladwell and those similar. These are the non-fiction books that have a few ideas to get across and the author does so by offering fascinating anecdotes to make their points through varied stories. In the best books, I feel like the salient viewpoint the author is expressing is about 25% of what's offered, while 75% are the relatable stories. And, if done well, both leave an indelible mark. 

This book tried to follow a similar formula. It was clear the author had some very specific explanations of why and how we get into a high conflict and a number of suggestions about ways to remove ourselves. Interestingly, I didn't actually find those items captivating. In fact, if you want to jump to the CliffsNotes version of her findings, there is a nice 2-3 pager at the end summarizing what she's learned and suggests.

But, skipping to the end would be a large mistake. You would miss the real reason to read this book -- the fascinating stories she offers to illuminate her points. Like Gladwell, and others before her, she works to have about 75% of her book offering stories to better illustrate her points. And, while I think she only did a marginal job using these stories to support her arguments, the stories themselves are excellent. She chooses fewer rather more; she ensures the characters are interesting; she gives you depth about their background and details about the conflicts that were created and how they moved past them (never cleanly).

As a whole, it's quite a worthwhile book. Perhaps you get more out of it from the self-help side than I did. While there are a number of suggestions and ideas for people/society, most boil down to communication. Really, just engage in conversations with people, listen better, be more open with your viewpoints and have some empathy. The anecdote for so many of our societies problems is empathy (easier said than done, right?), But, while you are searching for those answers, make sure you enjoy the personalized stories she shares; they are excellent!

American Dirt - Jeannie Cummins ------------------ 4.25 Stars

American Dirt is only a year old but I had MANY people suggest I read this book as they thought I might enjoy; they were right - it was a good read. And, in a first, I went to the hundreth spot for the decimal ranking. I was torn between a 4 and a 4.5. So many books I've read earned a 4, and I felt this book was significantly better than those. However, 4.5 is a score that signifies a book I truly couldn't put down and that wasn't quite true in this case. Hence, it's a 4.25.

So, I knew a little about this book before beginning. I knew it was about immigrants from Mexico coming to the United States. Prior to starting, I thought the title referred to how they were treated once in America (like dirt!). I was wrong; the title is literal. The book follows a mother and her son (and some secondary characters) about their adventures to reach America.

The book is excellent though it's a tough read. Not a difficult read because of challenging language or unknown vocabulary, but rather for the intimate and dark picture that the author paints from page 1 of the novel onwards. After an incredibly violent start to the book, the pace of the novel slows down but not the gruesomeness or hellish environment mother/son have to go through to arrive in American. Lack of money, more violence, sexual assaults, these are just some of the challenges many have to overcome during the arduous journey from Mexico to America. 

Partly because of all these challenges necessary for characters' to overcome, this book was an engaging and interesting read. While I wanted much more background about the mother's relationship with the "bad guy", I did find it easy to root for the characters. In fact, there were almost too real - I struggled to stop thinking about this book once I put it down. The plight and awful circumstances necessary for them to overcome just to get to a place I take for granted each day, left its mark on me. Interestingly, this is what kept this book from earning a higher rating. While I was entertained and interested in reading, I had to put it down from time to time and take a break. Most of the books I consume don't have such a large amount of painful storytelling as this book did. 

As a whole, American Dirt is a really great book. The story is fantastic, characters real, action consistent, and it educated me more fully about the dangerous and painful fight many immigrants face to enter America. If you go in understanding it can be a dark and emotional read, most likely you'll come out the other side happy you took on this excellent novel!