Book Review: I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

 


1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

SANCHEZ, E. L. (2017). I am not your perfect Mexican daughter. EMBER.

ISBN: 978-1524700515

2.  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?

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

I have a love-hate relationship with this book. Although the storyline was engaging, and I could see much of myself in Julia, I think this story was a bit stereotypical. For example, this book is titled “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter. The name alone felt stereotypical. What is a perfect Mexican daughter, and why does Julia feel she is not perfect? Was it because she aspired to go to college and liked going and was the complete opposite of her dead sister? This doesn’t represent the “Mexican” culture. I am Mexican American, and I am a first-generation college graduate, and I will soon have my Masters; my parents always instilled the importance of a college education and always encouraged me to do more. I think the way they described Julia’s parents was in an old-fashioned way of thinking that doesn’t accurately represent the “Mexican” culture.

Some aspects of this novel were relatable, like Julia’s relationship with her mother, which is typical given the age group and the grief and personal struggles she faced after losing her sister to a tragic accident. I also thought how they depicted the gang violence during Julia’s visit to Mexico was pointless, as were some of the other topics that were touched on in this book. Yes, we all know that there is a lot of cartel violence in Mexico, but the way it was mentioned in this book, I thought, was pointless and could have been left out. That detail didn’t add to the plotline.

All the negatives aside, I like the way Sanchez touched on Julia’s mourning process and how Julia’s character acknowledged her grief. Because this story was told from Julia’s perspective, readers were able to understand what she was going through.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

*National Book Award Finalist

Starred review in Booklist: “An earnest and heartfelt tale.”

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

5. CONNECTIONS

* Have students create a story map for this novel using a technology app such as Jamboard, Nearpod, or StoryMaps. This story map should detail the story's beginning, middle, and ending, along with rising and falling actions. The students should share their finished product with the class.

* People who liked this novel, would also enjoy these titles:  

Chavez Macias, A. (2022). Big chicas don’t cry. Montlake. ISBN: 978-1542039291

Chavez Macias, A. (2023). Too soon for adiós. Montlake. ISBN: 978-1542039307


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