I am not your perfect mexican daughter
Record details
- ISBN: 9781524700508 (electronic bk)
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Physical Description:
1 online resource
remote
electronic resource
electronic - Publisher: 2017.
Content descriptions
Target Audience Note: | Text Difficulty 3 730 Lexile. |
Reproduction Note: | Electronic reproduction. New York : Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2017. Requires Adobe Digital Editions (file size: 5 KB) or Kobo app or compatible Kobo device (file size: N/A KB). |
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Genre: | Electronic books. |
Other Formats and Editions
Electronic resources
- School Library Journal Reviews : SLJ Reviews 2017 September
Gr 10 UpâFifteen-year-old outcast Julia Reyes longs to attend college in New York, in order to get away from the suffocating watch of her undocumented Mexican parents in Chicago. The unusual death of Julia's older sister Olgaâconsidered the perfect child by her familyâonly bolsters this desire, as her parents focus their attention even more strongly on their now only child. When Julia stumbles across unexpected items in Olga's bedroom after the funeral, she sets off on a course to discover her sister's secrets while trying to find some escape from her strict parents. Sánchez makes Julia's unflinching candidness very clear from the start, with the opening sentence providing her stark description of Olga's corpse. This attitude intermittently brings levity to heavy moments, but also heartbreak when the weight of it all comes crashing down. That honesty and heartbreak is skillfully woven throughout, from the authentic portrayal of sacrifices made and challenges faced by immigrants to the clash of traditional versus contemporary practices, and the struggle of first-generation Americans to balance their two cultures. The importance of language, a lens through which Latinxs are often viewed and sharply judged, is brilliantly highlighted through an ample but measured use of Spanish that is often defined in context without feeling forced or awkward. The author interweaves threads related to depression/anxiety, body image, sexuality, rape, suicide, abuse, and gang violence in both the U.S. and Mexico with nuance, while remaining true to the realities of those issues.
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal.VERDICT Like Isabel Quintero's Gabi, a Girl in Pieces, sans the diary format, this novel richly explores coming-of-age topics; a timely and must-have account of survival in a culturally contentious world.âAlea Perez, Westmont Public Library, IL