Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

This book is brilliant. I couldn’t put it down. So well written. The characters are so well developed. I feel like this story will stick with me for a long time. Bravo!

After her sister’s death, Julia is left with the after effects of it all – especially from her family. Olga was the star child, could do no wrong. She did everything right in the eyes of her family, which left Julia in the shadows constantly. Julia was the headstrong, vocal, problem child. So when Olga passes, Julia is stuck with the constant reminder of how much she doesn’t even come close to Olga and her claimed perfection. She wants more to life than to be stuck in Chicago living at home like her sister did. As time passes, Julia comes to find out that Olga wasn’t the perfect daughter or sister that she claimed to be. Julia digs into her older sister’s life and starts to understand she really didn’t know who Olga was at all.

As I read this book, I could relate to Julia in so many ways. For a start, my parents were immigrants from Italy. The overbearing, protective mentality that Julia’s Mexican family had, was the way I grew up as well. There were a lot of parallels that I could relate to in the book: the Chicago neighborhood, the protective family, being the rebellious daughter, first generation Italian American, just to name a few. I LOVED that it took place in Chicago (born and bred Chicagoan here). There were so many cities and places I knew so that was such a fun thing to relate to. Even my college! Go Blue Demons! 🙂 Julia grows up to be a confident, strong, woman who doesn’t settle for mediocre. She learns the importance of her roots and how important her mental health is and takes control of it – something I can also relate to. Overall, this was a great read that brings cultural differentiation, diversity, and the strength to be different and not perfect from the rest.

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Erika L. Sanchez, a Mexican-American novelist, has been greatly recognized for her outstanding literature throughout recent years. Erika earned an MFA in creative writing from the University of New Mexico. On 2017, Sanchez published her empowering novel called, “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter,” and has since then made a huge impact on critics and mainly teenagers. It’s really no surprise that her young adult novel won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature; Sanchez has been recently named a Princeton Arts Fellow and has received many acknowledgements because of her great work. Sanchez’s piece of literature has impacted hundreds of teens as it touches upon relatable, major conflicts that Hispanic families encounter, which makes readers feel identified and intrigued by this compelling story.
The author narrates the life of Julia, a bold and rebellious teen, after her ‘perfect’ sister, Olga, dies in an accident. Julia is a complex character who feels left out from her family as she has always been different and expectations to what a Mexican lady should and shouldn’t do are always present reminded by her mother. Different from Julia, Olga seemed to be the perfect daughter, always helping around the house, doing what her parents wanted her to do, obeying the rules, and going to a close to home college. Nevertheless, Julia finds out some strange objects in Olga’s room that arouses curiosity and makes Julia question whether Olga was actually as innocent and a goody two shoes as she made it seem. With determination and help of her best friend as well as lover, Julia seeks to find the truth about her dead sister’s hidden, intriguing life.
As previously mentioned, Julia lives in a household where expectations and limitations are always present. Erika Sanchez does an amazing job portraying how the life of a Mexican young girl is. I felt greatly identified as I grew up in a strict, Mexican household. There are all these responsibilities thrown at girls from a very young age. They’re expected to be the ones staying at home, helping mothers cook, clean, etc. while the guys just go work or stay home doing nothing or at times, just drinking. Julia, however, opposes to these norms, but feels guilty for it as her mother always compares her to her sister and even boasts about how great Olga was. Sanchez creates a strong, hard-headed character and gives motives for her defiant actions, which because of her actions and personality, a captivating plot is produced.
I could really relate to Julia and her personality; she’s smart, reserved, loves reading and writing, and doesn’t follow on the expectations her Mexican family have. Since I can remember, I was always expected to clean the house, wash clothes, and cook. I’m expected to clean all the mess even if it’s all my brothers and I absolutely hate that. This book felt close to home as I’ve had similar thought that Julia had. Additionally, alike her, I am often compared to my siblings to notice how one is better at some things than the other, which is actually really upsetting. Erika L. Sanchez’s novel had a positive impact on me because her life was relatable and her story was truly captivating.
“I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” is genuinely one of the best books I’ve read since I could really identify with the protagonist. The plot of Julia’s story is interesting and keeps readers entertained while also revealing the truth about how Mexican families are. I believe it sets an important message to people, mainly teenagers. We are too often pushed to our limits and people still expect more from us. Teens are expected to always obey their parents and do everything they want, especially in Mexican families, where everyone has a significant role. In her novel, Sanchez reveals how everyone has secrets and literally no one is perfect, but that is okay, that’s how life is.

Julias ältere Schwester Olga schreibt beim überqueren der Straße eine Nachricht mit ihrem Handy und wird dabei von einem Auto erfasst. Die in Chicago lebende Familie fällt nach diesem Todesfall in ein tiefes Loch der Trauer und die vorher schon triste Familiendynamik gerät noch mehr in Schieflage. Julia ist genervt von ihrer Familie und hungrig nach einem anderen Leben. Ihre Mutter versucht sie in ein antiquiertes Frauenideal zu zwängen, ihr Vater verbringt seinen Feierabend vor dem Fernseher und der Rest der Familie ist auch eher unangenehm. Olga schien zu Lebenszeiten den an sie gestellten Erwartungen gerecht zu werden. Als Julia einige unerwartete Dinge in Olgas Zimmer findet, beginnt diese an der Fassade ihrer Schwester zu zweifeln und begibt sich auf die Suche nach ihrer „wahren“ Schwester.
Erika L. Sánchez schafft es die Perspektive eines Teenagers zu treffen, der zwischen Familientraditionen und einer neuen Welt seinen Platz sucht. Auch wenn die Familie hier aus Mexiko kommt, kann man dieses Gefühl kulturell „zwischen den Stühlen“ zu sitzen gut nachempfinden. Ähnlich wie beim Fänger im Roggen ist die Hauptfigur nicht einfach zu mögen, die Entscheidungen werden von versteckten Emotionen blockiert. Das macht diese Geschichte jedoch so authentisch.

Such a great book and relatable to my upbringing. However, I was not too fun of how the chapters towards the end skipped a period of time and how the book ended. I would’ve loved to see more detail and follow up from previous dialogue in earlier chapters or a series to follow this book.

Muy buen libro