Status
Available
Genres
Collection
Publication
Vintage Espanol (2018), 288 pages
Description
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.
Original publication date
2017-10-17
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User reviews
LibraryThing member SJGirl
This is a tough one at times emotionally, dealing in grief and depression, things get dark for Julia in the aftermath of her sister’s death. I thought the book handled Julia’s mental health not only realistically but responsibly, showing therapy sessions and giving a strong sense of just what
Julia has a trio of romantic interests over the course of the novel, two of the three were mostly sweet, however, neither is really the kind of romance a book gets overly swept up in. Given what she’s going through it’s good to see Julia have some nice moments with two of these boys but this story is definitely less about Julia finding love with someone else than it is about figuring out how to love herself.
While there is a slight mystery involving Julia’s sister, for me, the most engaging aspect of the plot had to be Julia’s rocky relationship with her parents, the clash of cultures and generations, their immigration experience, and maybe more than anything how well-paced it was so that however few warm fuzzy feelings there were in this family dynamic, they felt earned and authentic.
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Julia is drowning in without seeming gratuitous about it.Julia has a trio of romantic interests over the course of the novel, two of the three were mostly sweet, however, neither is really the kind of romance a book gets overly swept up in. Given what she’s going through it’s good to see Julia have some nice moments with two of these boys but this story is definitely less about Julia finding love with someone else than it is about figuring out how to love herself.
While there is a slight mystery involving Julia’s sister, for me, the most engaging aspect of the plot had to be Julia’s rocky relationship with her parents, the clash of cultures and generations, their immigration experience, and maybe more than anything how well-paced it was so that however few warm fuzzy feelings there were in this family dynamic, they felt earned and authentic.
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LibraryThing member Starla_Aurora
I great read for teens. Sanchez does well writing about the real lives of immigrants in the US. It was a little slow at the beginning and the end, but still a great book to read for those interested in family drama, immigrants lives in the US, and the struggles of the poor to make a better life for
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themselves. I would recommend this to many others. Show Less
LibraryThing member Steve.Gourley
Is it best to tell someone the truth even if it will bring them pain or let them believe a lie that makes them happy? This is a question which frustrates Julia Reyes throughout I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter. Olga, her compliant older sister, is though. The book begins in Olga's funeral,
But then Julia finds lingerie and a hotel card in her older sisters room. Olga was not so perfect after all. When Julia learns the full truth about Olga, she is enraged at Olga's co-worker for withholding the truth. "What difference would it have made?" She says in defense. After Julia is sent to Mexico, she learns more truth. She is just like her mother was: rebellious. She also learns her father was a great artist. Why did he stop drawing? She wonders. If I didn't write I'd die. And then she learns another terrible family secret. Her aunt hints at the horrible trauma her mother and father suffered crossing the border. The aunt begs Julia not to cause her mother any more suffering. Does Ama need to know the truth about Olga? Does she need to know that Julia knows the true story about crossing the border?
Knowing the truth about others can help us understand them, but this novel is great because Julia does more than understand people, she works to heal them. Maybe you could draw a picture of me sometime? she asks her father in the airport before leaving for college.
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and to add more pain to this loss, Julia believes she is the reason Olga was looking at her phone instead of the truck barreling through the intersection. She feels the "why-can't-you-be-like-Olga" vibes from her overbearing and protective mother, and she gets nothing from her physically present but emotionally absent father.But then Julia finds lingerie and a hotel card in her older sisters room. Olga was not so perfect after all. When Julia learns the full truth about Olga, she is enraged at Olga's co-worker for withholding the truth. "What difference would it have made?" She says in defense. After Julia is sent to Mexico, she learns more truth. She is just like her mother was: rebellious. She also learns her father was a great artist. Why did he stop drawing? She wonders. If I didn't write I'd die. And then she learns another terrible family secret. Her aunt hints at the horrible trauma her mother and father suffered crossing the border. The aunt begs Julia not to cause her mother any more suffering. Does Ama need to know the truth about Olga? Does she need to know that Julia knows the true story about crossing the border?
Knowing the truth about others can help us understand them, but this novel is great because Julia does more than understand people, she works to heal them. Maybe you could draw a picture of me sometime? she asks her father in the airport before leaving for college.
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LibraryThing member felix820
One Sentence Theme: Strong female lead portrays the difficulties trying to bridge two cultures.
Plot summary: Julia is the daughter of Mexican immigrants living in Chicago. Her older sister, Olga, recently died in a tragic accident and Julia struggles to live up to her parents' expectations.
Personal response: I struggled at times with the main character, because even though she was very bright, she was very negative and complained constantly. She had a lot of trouble viewing things that were going well and seeing them in a positive way. I am thinking this may be an accurate portrayal of teenager attitude? Overall, this was a very emotional and important read.
Curriculum Connections: I would suggest this to older young adults, with a caution on sexual content and language. There are potential mental health conversations that could develop because of this book, along with conversations on culture.
Plot summary: Julia is the daughter of Mexican immigrants living in Chicago. Her older sister, Olga, recently died in a tragic accident and Julia struggles to live up to her parents' expectations.
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Throughout the novel, Julia tries to solve a mystery about her sister. She finds it difficult to straddle two cultures and frequently struggles with depression and negative thoughts. Julia learns many lessons about communication, family, and how to help oneself.Personal response: I struggled at times with the main character, because even though she was very bright, she was very negative and complained constantly. She had a lot of trouble viewing things that were going well and seeing them in a positive way. I am thinking this may be an accurate portrayal of teenager attitude? Overall, this was a very emotional and important read.
Curriculum Connections: I would suggest this to older young adults, with a caution on sexual content and language. There are potential mental health conversations that could develop because of this book, along with conversations on culture.
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LibraryThing member ewyatt
Started with the audiobook and it didn't hook me. When I switched to the print version, the book got me going. Julia is a high schooler in Chicago looking to get away. She feels smoothered by her over-protective parents and their (cultural) expectations. Her older sister, Olga - the perfect Mexican
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daughter - has been killed when struck by a truck. Julia is reeling from the sudden loss and the discovery that maybe she didn't really know her sister that well after all. A coming of age story of a Chicago girl trying to find her way in the world. Show Less
LibraryThing member Jessika.C
Have you ever read a book that you loved so much but still wanted to smack the main character every two pages?
Julia Reyes is your typical teenage American girl with Mexican immigrant parents. She hates school but loves English class and classic literature, her goal in life is to leave Chicago and
Sometimes, her temper gets her in trouble and it’s that foot in mouth problem of hers that causes her older sister to die. At least that’s how she feels. Julia got in trouble in school one day and her mother had to go pick her up instead of going for her sister at her work. That same day, Olga died when she got hit by a truck.
I know there are going to be many people that might get offended with how many stereotypes this book holds. I can already hear the complaints of others about how Julia is the feisty Latina that pretends to be all hipster because she’s a self-hating Mexican. She’s a freaking teenager of course she’s self-hating. As a woman who grew up as a Mexican American girl in the middle of white people land, I know what Julia went through. I feel like if you’re really fully immersed in Mexican culture (or at least the one I grew up with) being politically correct is a learned trait from the outside. Most Mexicans did have that mom that would smack you with la chancla when you misbehaved. When you were bored you had no reason to be bored because you should be cleaning instead. Univision was the only channel ever playing on the TV. It took five hours to leave a party because it took one to say hi to half the family and another three to say goodbye to everyone. If you don’t say hi everyone assumes you’re angry. Because of this upbringing, most of us speak chismear as a third language.
Julia spends the book trying to figure herself out in the shadow of the perfect Mexican daughter that her sister left behind. Her mother doesn’t understand the culture she grew up with and her father was a hardworking Mexican immigrant that shows his love through providing instead of creating memories with the family. She thinks they don’t even want to know about her interests but doesn’t give them a chance to try either. Again, this isn’t an isolated thing only in Mexican-American families, most teens can relate to that feeling too.
There’s a moment where Julia seethed in a room full of her ethnically related people during her belated Quinceañera because she hated parties and the dress she was forced to wear. She hated the Mexican traditions and felt judged the entire time. But, then she gets a white boyfriend who asks the question that gives me second-hand embarrassment every time I hear it of “where are you from?” and doesn’t believe you when you tell them the name of a city in the mid-west USA. Her reaction? She thinks he’s cute for the roundabout way he tried to get her to admit what kind of brown person she was. These moments made me see how she really never fully embraced her Mexican side which I thought was sad.
In the end, no one is the perfect Mexican daughter. All in all, I enjoyed seeing the experience of a girl who fully embraced American life. It surprised me how much more American she became than I ever did because it sounded like Julia made more frequent trips than I did to Mexico and loved it. I hated the idea of ever going for longer than a week. I feel like it’s a must-read for any Mexican-American with immigrant parents. They really do give up a lot to give you the chance to live a life they didn’t get to have.
Julia Reyes is your typical teenage American girl with Mexican immigrant parents. She hates school but loves English class and classic literature, her goal in life is to leave Chicago and
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move to New York to get away from her family, and in the meantime, her best friend Lorena keeps her somewhat sane. Her body is the typical Mexican cutout with a petite height and heavy curves. Her face gets angry red pimples and needs glasses to see. Sometimes, her temper gets her in trouble and it’s that foot in mouth problem of hers that causes her older sister to die. At least that’s how she feels. Julia got in trouble in school one day and her mother had to go pick her up instead of going for her sister at her work. That same day, Olga died when she got hit by a truck.
I know there are going to be many people that might get offended with how many stereotypes this book holds. I can already hear the complaints of others about how Julia is the feisty Latina that pretends to be all hipster because she’s a self-hating Mexican. She’s a freaking teenager of course she’s self-hating. As a woman who grew up as a Mexican American girl in the middle of white people land, I know what Julia went through. I feel like if you’re really fully immersed in Mexican culture (or at least the one I grew up with) being politically correct is a learned trait from the outside. Most Mexicans did have that mom that would smack you with la chancla when you misbehaved. When you were bored you had no reason to be bored because you should be cleaning instead. Univision was the only channel ever playing on the TV. It took five hours to leave a party because it took one to say hi to half the family and another three to say goodbye to everyone. If you don’t say hi everyone assumes you’re angry. Because of this upbringing, most of us speak chismear as a third language.
Julia spends the book trying to figure herself out in the shadow of the perfect Mexican daughter that her sister left behind. Her mother doesn’t understand the culture she grew up with and her father was a hardworking Mexican immigrant that shows his love through providing instead of creating memories with the family. She thinks they don’t even want to know about her interests but doesn’t give them a chance to try either. Again, this isn’t an isolated thing only in Mexican-American families, most teens can relate to that feeling too.
There’s a moment where Julia seethed in a room full of her ethnically related people during her belated Quinceañera because she hated parties and the dress she was forced to wear. She hated the Mexican traditions and felt judged the entire time. But, then she gets a white boyfriend who asks the question that gives me second-hand embarrassment every time I hear it of “where are you from?” and doesn’t believe you when you tell them the name of a city in the mid-west USA. Her reaction? She thinks he’s cute for the roundabout way he tried to get her to admit what kind of brown person she was. These moments made me see how she really never fully embraced her Mexican side which I thought was sad.
In the end, no one is the perfect Mexican daughter. All in all, I enjoyed seeing the experience of a girl who fully embraced American life. It surprised me how much more American she became than I ever did because it sounded like Julia made more frequent trips than I did to Mexico and loved it. I hated the idea of ever going for longer than a week. I feel like it’s a must-read for any Mexican-American with immigrant parents. They really do give up a lot to give you the chance to live a life they didn’t get to have.
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LibraryThing member thursbest
I really had a hard time grasping the character of Julia, her personality was just something that I would find someone hard to relate to, but overall, as a Mexican girl myself, I found myself relating to a lot of the issues she brought up in her family and household. It was like looking inside into
The writing was stunning and it was just an incredibly smooth read. I was able to start and finish this book on a flight from Portland to Palm Springs, so it was definitely a book that I couldn't put down nor got bored of. 5/5!
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my own life when it came to the expectations parents expect of their daughters in my culture. The writing was stunning and it was just an incredibly smooth read. I was able to start and finish this book on a flight from Portland to Palm Springs, so it was definitely a book that I couldn't put down nor got bored of. 5/5!
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LibraryThing member Lindsay_W
Julia, the teenage daughter of undocumented Mexican Immigrants, struggles to figure out her life in urban Chicago. After the death of her sister, her relationship with her over protective mother becomes intolerable. It is not until Julia reaches a breaking point, and learns all that her parents
As I read this, there are close to 5 million undocumented Mexicans, like Julia’s parents, living and working in the US. Julia’s story gives us insight as to what life is like for the children of these immigrants; poverty, racism, and the struggle for a better future amidst the normal trials of the teenage years. Props to Sanchez for including links to mental health resources at the end of the book incase anyone is triggered by events in the story.
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have endured to give their children a better life in America, that she is able to reach some middle ground with her grieving mother and move on with her own life.As I read this, there are close to 5 million undocumented Mexicans, like Julia’s parents, living and working in the US. Julia’s story gives us insight as to what life is like for the children of these immigrants; poverty, racism, and the struggle for a better future amidst the normal trials of the teenage years. Props to Sanchez for including links to mental health resources at the end of the book incase anyone is triggered by events in the story.
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LibraryThing member Beth.Clarke
A strong YA novel showing the experiences of a young, first-generation Mexican girl. It has a little of many things teens like in a novel: grief, mothers-daughters, depression, weight issues, teen sex, and profanity. It is certainly a coming-of-age story where the main characters makes mistakes,
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but she also makes some amazingly mature choices as well. It's not full of Mexican stereotypes although there are some, it's done in a witty, intelligent way. Show Less
LibraryThing member ksmole1
This book is about a girl named Julia who is from a traditional Mexican family. Her sister Olga recently died in a tragic bus accident in Chicago. Julia is left as an only child and feels alone. Her mother is focused on Julia's flaws. Julia begins to wonder if her older sister Olga was really as
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perfect as her family made her out to be. With the help of her boyfriend and best friend she works to find out her sister's story. This book would work well as a shared read-aloud for middle schoolers or an independent reading choice for high schoolers. The book could be used for literature circles, teaching character traits, or even talking about the aspects of plot. As far as family goes in this book, it discusses the role of daughters and expectations in traditional Mexican culture and also points out some of the struggles children may have to go to while their family is dealing with the grief of losing a child. Show Less
LibraryThing member acargile
This novel is as good as its been hyped.
Julia is not the perfect Mexican Daughter, but Olga is. Problem is--Olga’s dead. Julia has dreams of leaving--she wants to move to a big town, go to college, and be who she is. Problem is-- who she is. She’s a rather confrontational, rude, rebellious,
Julia (pronounced Spanish way--”h” sound, like Jose, not with a hard “j” sound as used in English) finds questionable clothing in her sister’s room and decides to investigate. No perfect Mexican daughter would wear these items, and what was she doing with a hotel key? Julia begins her investigating, revealing that Olga wasn’t perfect; she, too, possessed a secret life. After more misunderstandings and other desperate actions she makes to escape her life, Julia is sent to Mexico to be with her grandparents. It’s here that Julia learns about her parents, her cultural past, and can have space to breathe and find direction for herself.
I didn’t think I would like this novel--honestly, I didn’t at first. It’s hard to like Julia--she’s got a potty mouth; she isn’t particularly nice; she is confrontational; she whines a lot; and, she creates many of her own problems because she doesn’t seem to think anything through. She would be hard to be friends with, but she does have friends as well as a boyfriend--bless him! By the end, I really enjoyed the novel and liked how it progressed. It showed Mexican life authentically. Often books say a character is Mexican where it just becomes a side fact. This novel portrays Mexican culture and expectations as well as explaining the dangers of immigration. It’s very realistic--Julia is hurting and there isn’t a simple solution; her parents have to face hard choices as well and change, too. Julia struggles, makes difficult decisions, and finds the courage to move forward. It’s an excellent novel.
Julia is not the perfect Mexican Daughter, but Olga is. Problem is--Olga’s dead. Julia has dreams of leaving--she wants to move to a big town, go to college, and be who she is. Problem is-- who she is. She’s a rather confrontational, rude, rebellious,
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depressed, and lonely person. It’s hard to escape the life you hate and yourself as well. Julia is controlled by her mother who fears losing another daughter, yet she pushes her daughter away by arguing with Julia regularly, telling her how she fails to be a better daughter. Julia, meanwhile, writes her feelings out in her journal and at school. Her teacher tells her that she has a chance for college through her amazing writing skills. This creates two worlds--the world of control with the mother and father and the world of possibility when she secretly writes.Julia (pronounced Spanish way--”h” sound, like Jose, not with a hard “j” sound as used in English) finds questionable clothing in her sister’s room and decides to investigate. No perfect Mexican daughter would wear these items, and what was she doing with a hotel key? Julia begins her investigating, revealing that Olga wasn’t perfect; she, too, possessed a secret life. After more misunderstandings and other desperate actions she makes to escape her life, Julia is sent to Mexico to be with her grandparents. It’s here that Julia learns about her parents, her cultural past, and can have space to breathe and find direction for herself.
I didn’t think I would like this novel--honestly, I didn’t at first. It’s hard to like Julia--she’s got a potty mouth; she isn’t particularly nice; she is confrontational; she whines a lot; and, she creates many of her own problems because she doesn’t seem to think anything through. She would be hard to be friends with, but she does have friends as well as a boyfriend--bless him! By the end, I really enjoyed the novel and liked how it progressed. It showed Mexican life authentically. Often books say a character is Mexican where it just becomes a side fact. This novel portrays Mexican culture and expectations as well as explaining the dangers of immigration. It’s very realistic--Julia is hurting and there isn’t a simple solution; her parents have to face hard choices as well and change, too. Julia struggles, makes difficult decisions, and finds the courage to move forward. It’s an excellent novel.
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LibraryThing member BookConcierge
Book on CD performed by Kayla Garcia.
Fifteen-year-old Julia narrates this coming-of-age story set in Chicago. The novel opens shortly after her older sister, Olga, has died in a tragic traffic accident. Her mother and father are absorbed in their grief, and Julia feels smothered by their
I really like Julia as a main character. I cheered for her as she uncovered bits of her sister’s life with the help of her friends. I worried about her as she withdrew from those friends and struggled to connect with her parents. I wanted to take her aside and counsel her when she kept refusing to acknowledge her troubles to concerned teachers. I applauded her efforts to pursue her goals of a college education. She’s a tough girl and I think in similar circumstances I would have broken far sooner. I wanted to shake her mother and father into acknowledging the real, talented, bright, obedient daughter they had, rather than continue to idolize (and practically canonize) their deceased “perfect” daughter.
Kayla Garcia does a marvelous job narrating the audio book. She has great pacing, perfect pronunciation of Spanish, and enough skill as a voice artist to differentiate the characters. I love the way she voices Julia’s friends Lorena and Juanga.
Fifteen-year-old Julia narrates this coming-of-age story set in Chicago. The novel opens shortly after her older sister, Olga, has died in a tragic traffic accident. Her mother and father are absorbed in their grief, and Julia feels smothered by their
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over-protectiveness. She worries her dreams and desires to go to college in New York and become a writer will never come true. And feels that if she can just uncover the truth of her “perfect” sister’s last months on earth, she’ll be able to move on with her life. Though Julia and her sister were born in the U.S., the fact that her parents are undocumented makes her all the more reticent to seek professional help for her growing depression. I really like Julia as a main character. I cheered for her as she uncovered bits of her sister’s life with the help of her friends. I worried about her as she withdrew from those friends and struggled to connect with her parents. I wanted to take her aside and counsel her when she kept refusing to acknowledge her troubles to concerned teachers. I applauded her efforts to pursue her goals of a college education. She’s a tough girl and I think in similar circumstances I would have broken far sooner. I wanted to shake her mother and father into acknowledging the real, talented, bright, obedient daughter they had, rather than continue to idolize (and practically canonize) their deceased “perfect” daughter.
Kayla Garcia does a marvelous job narrating the audio book. She has great pacing, perfect pronunciation of Spanish, and enough skill as a voice artist to differentiate the characters. I love the way she voices Julia’s friends Lorena and Juanga.
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LibraryThing member froxgirl
How lucky are YAs these days, to have writers of humor, craft, and brutal honesty seeking them out as audience. This is a memorable novel for all ages, and maybe even for the ages. It opens with the death of protagonist Julia's perfect older sister Olga. Their parents, Mexican immigrants, find
Quote: "It would've been funny under different circumstances, like the time we got caught in the rain and her makeup smeared like a gasoline rainbow."
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Julia to be disobedient, rebellious, and ungrateful, and decide to punish her by throwing her the Quinceanara they could not afford for Olga. Julia knows nothing about her parents, nor they her. She doesn't know how they came from a tiny Mexican village to Chicago, and they don't know that she yearns to be a writer. In her turbulent senior year of high school, Julia finds out about Olga's secrets, acts out on her depression, falls in love, loses her virginity, and returns to Mexico for a life-changing re-acquaintance with to her roots. She's also incredibly funny and mouthy and smart, as is the writing. A big fun read.Quote: "It would've been funny under different circumstances, like the time we got caught in the rain and her makeup smeared like a gasoline rainbow."
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LibraryThing member CDWilson27
Erika Sanchez is a genius. This YA plotline has the typical elements - coming of age, teen angst, first sex and teen/parent friction. Sanchez places these stories in a Latinx Chicago neighborhood, surrounding the sudden death of the protagonist's older sister. Nina's parents are undocumented, and
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Nina and her sister are the first generation to graduate from high school. While this material from a lesser author would have been too predictable to sustain, I couldn't put Mexican Daughter down. Sanchez writes with authority of the Mexican immigrant community and its issues. Nina isn't a perfect anything except a dreamer, and her flaws are part of what makes this a good read. How Nina deals with the usual teen issues is informed by her culture, halfway between immigrant and urban Chicago teen, is a compelling read on several levels. Show Less
LibraryThing member ethel55
I did not actually find this to be 'laugh out loud' as detailed by the flyleaf information. In fact, this piece showcased a young girl's life and the frustration, angst and realism of being a teen very well. It's hard to remember how young Julia actually is when reading the book. She skipped a
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grade and by the time her much older sister, Olga (22) is killed in a vehicular accident, she's still only 15 when this begins. Olga was arguably the near perfect Mexican daughter, but as Julia learns, had many secrets of her own as well. Julia's smart, and definitely wants more from life than what she views her parents have settled for. None of them are very good at facing their feelings of loss over Olga and the book is actually pretty dark. It also jumps through time in strange bouts, so we actually end up following Julia to the end of high school. Show Less
LibraryThing member foggidawn
Julia's older sister Olga was the perfect daughter, devoted to her parents, obedient, hardworking, and everything that Julia is not. And then Olga dies in a traffic accident. Fifteen-year-old Julia is dealing not only with her grief at her sister's death, but with her mother's disappointment and
Angst, angst, angst. I had a really hard time liking Julia, though I understood at least part of her frustration. She's a convincingly written teenager, that's certain. And her character development throughout the novel is subtle and well done. This is obviously good writing, but I didn't fully enjoy it due to my irritation at the main character's judgmental attitude and sharp tongue. I listened to the audiobook. The narration was generally good, though not exceptional. I did appreciate listening to this one, rather than reading, for the pronunciation of the Spanish words sprinkled in. The writing occasionally seemed choppy, though I might not have noticed if I had been reading, as opposed to listening. It's a great #ownvoices narrative, and though it was not entirely to my taste, I'd recommend it if the plot piques your interest.
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expectations for her. How can Julia make her mother understand that she wants to go to college in a different city, to be a writer, to hang out with her friends, to go on dates -- all the things that Olga never seemed to want? When Julia discovers some items in her sister's bedroom that hint at a secret Olga may have been hiding, she begins a quest to discover who her sister truly was.Angst, angst, angst. I had a really hard time liking Julia, though I understood at least part of her frustration. She's a convincingly written teenager, that's certain. And her character development throughout the novel is subtle and well done. This is obviously good writing, but I didn't fully enjoy it due to my irritation at the main character's judgmental attitude and sharp tongue. I listened to the audiobook. The narration was generally good, though not exceptional. I did appreciate listening to this one, rather than reading, for the pronunciation of the Spanish words sprinkled in. The writing occasionally seemed choppy, though I might not have noticed if I had been reading, as opposed to listening. It's a great #ownvoices narrative, and though it was not entirely to my taste, I'd recommend it if the plot piques your interest.
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LibraryThing member Iudita
There is no shortage of teenage angst and other various YA tropes in this novel. However, between the episodes of attitude and anger we get little glimpses of the sweet, creative and sensitive girl that Julia is. It was enough to keep me reading and I felt somewhat satisfied with the way things
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resolved. For me, the real appeal of this story was the way it highlighted certain aspects of Mexican culture which I found both interesting and endearing. Knowing that I am not the target market for this book, I would like to say that I would recommend this to a teen, especially a younger one. I think it could be a powerful reading experience for the right reader. Show Less
LibraryThing member lilibrarian
Julia is not the daughter her mother wanted. That was her older sister, Olga. Now that Olga is dead, however, Julia feels that she is just not enough - but she doesn't want to be that traditional daughter anyway.
LibraryThing member creighley
A contemporary young adult novel about losing a sister and finding yourself and the pressures, expectations, and stereotypes of growing upon a Mexican-American home. Perfect Mexican daughters do not go to college, leave home, and in essence abandon their families. Julia is. Or perfect. That was her
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sister, Olga’s, job. Olga does in a traffic accident leaving Julia to put the pieces together only to find that Olga may not have been as perfect as her mother constantly reminds Julia that Olga was. Show Less
LibraryThing member readingbeader
Eh, I had someone tell me the end of this, I just wasn't feeling it.
LibraryThing member StaffPicks
Julia is not the perfect Mexican daughter, that was her sister Olga. When Olga dies unexpectedly, Julia is left to pick up the pieces of her rapidly unravelling family. As she uncovers her sister’s secrets and learns of her parents’ extremely violent journey to America, her world will change
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forever. With themes of loss, suicide, relationships, family, cultural identity, and love, this book will take you on a remarkable journey. Show Less
LibraryThing member BibliophageOnCoffee
This is the first YA book I've read in a long time, and now I wish I were in charge of the entire country's high school curriculum so that I could make this required reading. This story touches on so many timely and universal topics while simultaneously being a real page-turner. Everyone can get
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something out of this book, no matter how old you are. Show Less
LibraryThing member ms_rowse
This book should replace "Catcher in the Rye" in high school English classrooms. Same themes, but with a much more engaging protagonist, one that I rooted for the entire book.
Listened to the audiobook through Libby. Narration was good.
Listened to the audiobook through Libby. Narration was good.
LibraryThing member Carolee888
Erika L. Sánchez bares her soul in this intense and raw memoir/coming of age. Julia, her older sister was the perfect one by her mother'standards. Mostly at home, dressing very modestly. Unlike Erika who questioned her teacher's honesty, Julia was compliant with her parent's wishes. Not going
Erika thought Julia was the perfect Mexican daughter, but Erika wanted more from life. Getting out of the neighborhood, New York even and rising to the top of her career.
But after the funeral, Erika found a few items in her sister's bedroom that made her want find who her sister really was, was Julia living a double life. Erika began her search and she plunged into deep depressiom. Her journey takes her eventually to survival.
This book is for Non-Hispanics like me to learn about the unique expectations and stalworth barriers to breaking out of the mold in a poor Hispanic community. And it is also a story of breaking through depression.
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directly to college, she stayed at home and helped mother a lot. Worked at a dead end job as a secretary, and took a night school class but not coming close to a degree.Erika thought Julia was the perfect Mexican daughter, but Erika wanted more from life. Getting out of the neighborhood, New York even and rising to the top of her career.
But after the funeral, Erika found a few items in her sister's bedroom that made her want find who her sister really was, was Julia living a double life. Erika began her search and she plunged into deep depressiom. Her journey takes her eventually to survival.
This book is for Non-Hispanics like me to learn about the unique expectations and stalworth barriers to breaking out of the mold in a poor Hispanic community. And it is also a story of breaking through depression.
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LibraryThing member sriddell
Not usually a fan of YA, but this was well-written and very relatable.
Julia is a young girl in Chicago. Her parents risked everything to migrate to the US from Mexico, and from Julia's point of view, they are too restrictive, too "old country".
As the story opens, Julia's older sister Olga has just
Julia is the opposite of Olga, outspoken, angry, wants to go to college and live an American life.
An interesting journey full of family history and secrets.
Julia is a young girl in Chicago. Her parents risked everything to migrate to the US from Mexico, and from Julia's point of view, they are too restrictive, too "old country".
As the story opens, Julia's older sister Olga has just
Show More
died a tragic death. Olga seemed to be the perfect Mexican daughter - wanted to stay at home with her parents, helped to cook and clean, didn't plan to move along with her life in spite of being an adult.Julia is the opposite of Olga, outspoken, angry, wants to go to college and live an American life.
An interesting journey full of family history and secrets.
Show Less
Pages
288