Jeanine Cummins' acclaimed novel, AMERICAN DIRT, was about the perilous journey that migrants take from Mexico to the United States. In her new work of fiction, SPEAK TO ME OF HOME, she takes us to Puerto Rico in a story that encompasses generations of women whose lives are either completely or peripherally connected to that tropical island.

While the novel opens with a horrific accident during a hurricane in which the youngest woman in the family, Daisy, is terribly injured, it also shares the stories of the lives of her mother and her grandmother. There are many relatives whose names we must learn, so it's extremely helpful that Cummins includes a family tree at the start of the book.

"The nuances of life and love, of family ties and family fractures, and the ‘home’ in Puerto Rico, all serve to make this a novel that would be perfect for book groups to discuss."

The family story begins with Mamamía and Papamío, the couple whose charm and style was celebrated by Puerto Rican society. Even though Papamío was thought to have married beneath him --- Mamamía was from the other side of the island, where the locals weren't as sophisticated as those who lived in San Juan --- she was beautiful and dressed with flair. Papamío came from a very "white" family with a wealthy background. Mamamía, on the other hand, had darker skin, although her father had done extremely well financially. We see that whiteness is celebrated everywhere.

As Daisy struggles for her life, Cummins takes us back and forth in time and place as we see Daisy's grandmother, Rafaela, whose childhood was spent as a pampered princess. She didn't butter her own toast, she went to private schools, and she was given whatever she wanted. Until her father's downfall, life seems perfect. Rafaela marries an American whose family is of Irish heritage, and her daughter, Ruth, follows suit.

The family's lives take them to St. Louis, then to Palisades, New York, and back to San Juan, as we learn about the passions and the tribulations of the three women over the years. Cummins demonstrates over and over that the women in the generations preceding Daisy live their lives reacting to decisions made by their husbands. When Papamío's career is destroyed, Mamamía must help them rebuild their lives. When both Ruth and Rafaela's marriages result in hard times, they have to figure out what to do with their lives.

The rampant discrimination against those whose skin is not lily white is like a slap in the face as we read about devastating actions and comments that cut to the core. Rafaela's husband joins a country club, but then they must deal with the racism that means she cannot use the locker room with the "white" women. Rafaela's stance and mien practically scream "privileged upbringing," but that's not enough. Ruth, on the other hand, feels like she's not Puerto Rican enough to be a part of that club in college --- especially when, ironically, the other girls there shun her for her "whiteness."

Ultimately, though, this is a novel about belonging, home and family. It's about finding our passions and celebrating them, as do all the women in the novel. Daisy's passion is not what her mother wanted for her, but like all the strong-willed women in the story, she finds her own path. Cummins explores our capacity to love and the ways we love. Through her characters, she demonstrates that while home is where the family is, home also needs to be a place where we are accepted and loved for who we are.

The cruelty of racism rears its head often in this saga as we come to realize that seemingly, no matter where one lives, skin color matters. And while the women who lived in years past were judged harshly for their coffee-colored skin tones, in other ways and in other settings, those with lighter skin tones might be judged just as harshly. The nuances of life and love, of family ties and family fractures, and the "home" in Puerto Rico, all serve to make this a novel that would be perfect for book groups to discuss.