Jeanine Cummins

Jeanine Cummins is an American historical fiction author from New York. She was born on an American Naval base in Rota, Spain though she spent much of her childhood in Gaithersburg in Maryland. As a sixteen-year-old teenager, she experienced one of most horrifying crimes as four strangers killed two of her cousins. She went on to write her bestselling memoir “A Rip in Heaven” in 2004. After her memoir was published, Cummins became a public speaker on victims’ rights, particularly focusing on the family’s experiences dealing with the criminal justice system. She has talked to high school, middle school and college students on subjects as diverse as turning trauma into art, victimology, and writing. She has also spoken about best practices when dealing with victims of trauma and violent crime. Jeanine has also been a speaker in prison where she encouraged inmates to use stories or art to take control of their trauma. She published her first fiction novel “The Outside Boy” in 2010 followed by “The Crooked Branch” in 2013. Her biggest break was the publication of “American Dirt” a novel that she reportedly sold for seven figures in a nine-way auction. The novel is about an immigrant family and their journey to the US via the Mexican border.