Erika Sánchez joins MashReads with her lauded debut novel 'I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter'
Growing up with strict familial expectations is hard, especially with a seemingly "perfect" older sibling. But if that sibling were to suddenly and tragically pass away, that gulf between yourself and your family could seem impassable.
That's the central struggle of Erika Sánchez' powerful new novel, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter.
The book follows Julia, who is not the perfect Mexican daughter. That was her sister Olga’s role. Olga didn’t go away to college — she stayed home to take care of their parents, clean the house, and work a part-time job.
But one mistake leaves Olga dead and Julia coping with the aftermath. Their parents, who are undocumented and living in Chicago after leaving Mexico to find a better life, are devastated. But Julia soon discovers that Olga may have had secrets of her own.
Sánchez, a columnist, poet, and essayist, has taken the book world by storm with her debut YA novel. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, which is a National Book Award finalist for Young People's Literature, draws in part on Sánchez' experiences as the daughter of undocumented Mexican immigrants.
This month, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is our MashReads book club pick of the month. We hope you'll join us as we read and discuss this spectacular novel.
You can join the conversation online on Facebook and Twitter. And don't forget to use the hashtag #MashReads to let us know what you think of the book.
We'll also be discussing the book with Erika Sánchez herself in an IRL book club on Monday, November 13th at 6:30 p.m. EDT at Mashable HQ in New York City. You can RSVP here and join us for a night of friends, food, and books as we chat about I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter.
Topics Books
Aliza Weinberger is an Audience Development Assistant at Mashable and a MashReads contributor. In this capacity, she develops marketing campaigns on Mashable's social accounts and works to grow the company's online presence. She is also a member of the MashReads team and a host of the MashReads podcast. Aliza graduated Northwestern University with a Bachelor's in Film Studies and English Literature and was previously a Social Content Strategist at DDB Worldwide. Aliza is a member of three book clubs and loves watching Netflix and Broadway shows.
