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

SOON TO BE A NETFLIX FILM DIRECTED BY AMERICA FERRERA Instant New York Times Bestseller ‘I fell in love with Erika L. Sánchez’ stunning novel... The depth, wit and searing intelligence of her writing, and her young Latina heroine, struck me to my core.’ America Ferrera ‘This gripping debut about a Mexican-American misfit is alive and crackling.’ New York Times ‘A perfect book about imperfection.’ Juan Felipe Herrera The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian meets Jane the Virgin in this poignant but laugh-out-loud funny contemporary YA about losing a sister and finding yourself.  When her sister Olga dies in a tragic accident, Julia is left to pick up the pieces of her family. She is also expected to fill the shoes of her sister. But Julia has never been the perfect Mexican daughter. As Julia struggles to find her place in the world, she discovers Olga was not as perfect as everyone thought. Who was her sister really? And how can Julia even attempt to live up to an impossible ideal?

About the Author :
Erika L. Sánchez is a Mexican American poet, novelist, and essayist. Her debut poetry collection, Lessons on Expulsion, was published by Graywolf in July 2017, and was a finalist for the PEN America Open Book Award. Her debut young adult novel, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, published in October 2017 by Knopf Books for Young Readers, was a New York Times bestseller and a National Book Awards finalist. It is now being made into a film directed by America Ferrera. Sánchez was a 2017–2019 Princeton Arts Fellow, a 2018 recipient of the 21st Century Award from the Chicago Public Library Foundation, and a 2019 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. She is the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz chair at DePaul University and lives in Chicago with her family. 

Review :
‘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, Sánchez’s novel doesn’t shy from heavy subject matter.’  ‘This book will change everything… A perfect book about imperfection.’ ‘Unique and fresh.’  ‘A wonderfully complex and interesting character.’ ‘If you ever wanted to [understand] the harsh truths of immigrant life, this is the book you need to read.’ ‘Years ago, I fell in love with Erika L. Sánchez’ 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.’ ”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… Sánchez 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.’ ‘An earnest and heartfelt tale.’ ‘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.’