I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

Sánchez, E. L. (2019). I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter. Random House Children's Books.

ISBN: 978-1524700515

Plot Summary:

Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not move out of their parents’ house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family.

But Julia is not your perfect Mexican daughter. That was Olga’s role.

Then a tragic accident on the busiest street in Chicago leaves Olga dead and Julia left behind to reassemble the shattered pieces of her family. And no one seems to acknowledge that Julia is broken, too. Instead, her mother seems to channel her grief into pointing out every possible way Julia has failed.

But it’s not long before Julia discovers that Olga might not have been as perfect as everyone thought. With the help of her best friend Lorena, and her first love, first everything boyfriend Connor, Julia is determined to find out. Was Olga really what she seemed? Or was there more to her sister’s story? And either way, how can Julia even attempt to live up to a seemingly impossible ideal?

-Amazon

Analysis:

Erika Sánchez has written a powerful narrative that reflects the experience of Mexican immigrants in the United States. The opening lines draw you into a tragedy that is the catalyst for the rest of the story.  Our main character, Julia, is grieving the death of her sister, Olga. Their parents left Mexico before the girls were born, but since they crossed the border into the United States it’s been anything but easy. Hard physical labor and long hours keep a roof over their heads, but their roach-infested apartment is an indication of the poverty they cannot escape from. They lean on their family and community, but Julia dreams of a different life. She wants to go to college and become a writer. She is always compared to Olga, who was content and obedient…a perfect Mexican daughter. After Olga’s death, Julia is on a quest to learn who her older sister really was. The answers she finds unsettle her perceptions of her family and their past. With the help of friends, a good teacher, and eventually a counselor Julia begins to make peace with the tragedies that have devastated her family. 

Sánchez offers a view of Mexican-American culture through the eyes of our teenage character. Julia’s Catholic upbringing, her quinceanera, a visit to her family in Mexico, and other cultural markers and traditions make the story feel authentic. Sánchez includes many sensitive themes in her writing. Alcohol, sex, violence, depression, anxiety, suicide, death, and strong language all make appearances in the narrative. I found her treatment of these topics to be real and representative without being overly graphic. That being said, I would recommend this book for mature readers.

Book Reviews:

“Alive and crackling—a gritty tale wrapped in a page-turner. ”

—The New York Times

“A timely and must-have account of survival in a culturally contested world.”

 —SLJ, Starred

Sanchez paints an evocative portrait of a Mexican American family, effectively capturing bicultural tensions. The depiction of Julia processing her losses is hauntingly memorable and noteworthy in its authentic representation of too-rarely-written-about culture. Sanchez paints an evocative portrait of a Mexican American family, effectively capturing bicultural tensions. The depiction of Julia processing her losses is hauntingly memorable and noteworthy in its authentic representation of too-rarely-written-about culture.

–Horn Book

Connections:

This book, for mature readers, shows how professional counseling can help people cope with depression and work through trauma. 

It could also promote discussion about family dynamics and relationships.

Awards:

Tomás Rivera Book Award, 1996-2024, Winner, 2018

 YALSA Teens' Top Ten, 2003-2023, Winner, 2018

 International Latino Book Awards, 2000-2023, Second Place Winner, 2017

 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, 1996-2023, Finalist, 2017

 SLJ Best Books of the Year, 2010 - 2023, Selection, 2017

This review was created as an assignment for SHSU LSSL 5361.