War is always devastating, but what makes hostility in this region worse is that India and Pakistan are both nuclear powers. Despite a fragile ceasefire, tensions remain high.
That Cummins' Puerto Rican grandmother should come into this discussion seems very much a product of the heated cultural moment into which American Dirt was published.
During our discussions, Kryvosheya and Myrko emphasize how their artistic endeavors are not just about creating beautiful objects, but rather about expressing cultural identity and personal philosophy.
I feel like it's a redundant message in my writing. Our Indigenous way of life is beautiful. Living in relationship with the land and water is so rich and so life-filling that all the diversions in Western cultivated society cannot hold a candle to a calm day on the water.