I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter: A Time magazine pick for Best YA of All Time

Description

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 her sister 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), 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?

Erika L. Sanchez is a poet, a feminist and a champion for young women everywhere. She was the sex and love advice columnist for Cosmopolitan for Latinas for three years, and her writing has appeared in Rolling Stone, Salon and the Paris Review. Since she was twelve, Erika has dreamed of writing complex, empowering stories about girls of colour - the stories she wanted to read as a young adult. She lives in Chicago, not far from where I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is set. You can find out more about her at erikalsanchez.com or by following @ErikaLSanchez on Twitter.

'This gripping debut about a Mexican-American misfit is alive and crackling - a gritty tale wrapped in a page-turner... Part detective story, part coming-of-age tale, Sanchez's novel doesn't shy from heavy subject matter.' -- New York Times 'This book will change everything... A perfect book about imperfection.' -- Juan Felipe Herrera, Poet Laureate of the United States 'Unique and fresh.' -- Entertainment Weekly 'A wonderfully complex and interesting character.' -- Los Angeles Review of Books 'If you ever wanted to [understand] the harsh truths of immigrant life, this is the book you need to read.' -- Bustle 'Years ago, I fell in love with Erika L. Sanchez' stunning novel... The depth, wit and searing intelligence of her writing, and her young Latina heroine, struck me to my core and left me wanting so much more.' -- America Ferrera "Why does everything hurt all the time?" might be the perfect YA fiction line... It may seem melodramatic, but like so many questions raised within young adult fiction, it's one we return to throughout our lives... The tensions of first-generation immigrants are explored deftly... Sanchez gives an authentic teen voice here. There's a specific ache associated with being young and hurting... and it leaps off the age in this novel... This is a gorgeous novel.' -- Irish Times 'An earnest and heartfelt tale.' -- Booklist 'This powerful, compelling novel covers issues relating to present-day teenagers - ethnicity issues, cultural stresses, mental health - but the vivid American context sets them at a slight distance for British readers, and opens up opportunities for discussion.' * School Librarian *