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.

4Demons are Met with Courage

Similarly, there is an echo of Julia’s courage in Sanchez’s decision to make depression one of Julia’s monsters. Having suffered depression herself, Sanchez showcases mental illness, knowing from personal experience that it is a particularly taboo subject in Latino communities. The mental health conversation that Sanchez is starting is as important as the one about poverty. With young Latinas showing amongst the highest rates of suicide in the country, we need to do more to normalize the conversation about mental health, depression, and anxiety.