10 Reasons Why We Love Erika L. Sánchez’s Debut Novel, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

Before I give you a whole bunch of great reasons to pick up Erika L. Sanchez’s novel and read it until there is no more to read, let us pause for a moment to thank J.K. Rowling for writing about young but complex characters in tough situations 20 years ago, opening the door to a whole new breed of young adult literature, which treats our middle readers with same respect as it does adults.

Rowling’s wake has been the path for cult sagas like the Twilight and Hunger Games and for gems like R.J. Palacios’ Wonder. Sanchez is next in line with I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, a coming of age story with a sassy female protagonist. Here are 10 reasons why we’re still obsessed with this remarkable YA book.

7The Protagonist Embraces Her “Imperfection” as Power

But Sanchez throws bigger obstacles in Julia’s path than just the average hormones and party dresses. Forced to grapple with loss, grief, sexual assault, and immigration, Julia faces problems that are beyond her years, some of them specific to her community. Uninterested in the apparent perfection that cultural norms demand from her, Julia is proud of her “imperfection,” which is really to say, her individuality, and distances from other’s expectations. To us, this a strength and not a flaw.

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