Introduction To The Book
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, by Erika Sánchez, centralizes on the life of Julia, who is the protagonist of the story. The book explores Julia’s response to her sister Olga’s death, and how her mom is constantly criticizing her, making her feel like she is not enough. The setting takes place in the city of Chicago. Throughout the whole book, readers learn that Julia, in the eyes of her mother, is not the perfect Mexican daughter. Even though Julia’s mom loves her, she lacks comprehension and does not believe Julia can do things on her own. Apart from this, readers also make a shocking discovery. This book talks about expectations from families in Hispanic cultures and it also explores Julia’s response to dealing with depression.
Connections
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter connects to those who have misunderstanding parents. In the story, Julia feels like her mom is suffocating her because they do not see eye to eye. She has to lie about what she does outside their house because her honesty is going to be a disappointment. The story gives a demonstration of mental health, and how it should be taken seriously. A quote that all readers can relate to is this one:
“How do we tie our shoes, brush our hair, drink coffee, wash the dishes, and go to sleep, pretending everything is fine? How do we laugh and feel happiness despite the buried things growing inside? How can we do that day after day?” (Sanchez, 284).
Nowadays, people feel the need to hide their pain and true emotions, because they think it is the best solution to be okay.
Dislikes
The only unpleasant thing about the book is Julia’s mother. Readers will find her unbearable because of how she acts towards Julia. She has created this idea of Julia. She views Julia’s goals in life as a joke and does not take the time to understand her. Julia’s mom believes that if she listens to her, then nothing will go wrong in her life. Julia hates the mindset her mom has because she wants to be her own person; she does not want to live a life that will make her unhappy. Julia does not want to be like Olga, who in the eyes of their mom, was the perfect Mexican daughter.
Recommendation
Readers who want to learn more about how Latinos or Hispanics deal with parents who do not want them to follow their own pathway should read this book. It would also be a great book to read for someone who is into unexpected discoveries. Sánchez does an excellent job at showing expectations in a Hispanic family and mental health issues. Julia’s depression in the story can connect to readers who also felt like they were not allowed to look our after their well-being. This is not the type of book that audiences will find difficult to comprehend.
