I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter Book Analysis Essay Example

Have you ever thought your goals couldn’t be reached because of your customs or family? I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez is about a girl named Julia that is trying to escape her cramped apartment to go away to college in New York and become a writer. However, her goals were affected after the death of her older sister, Olga, who Julia finds out isn’t as perfect as everyone thinks. At the end of the book, Julia reaches her goal of going to college, and this event will change her, her family, and set an example for her culture. Julia will also go through a new set of difficulties in New York.

Julia has been living in Chicago her whole life. In chapter twenty-seven, Julia finds out that she gets accepted into New York University, which means she will finally go to New York. “My life is changing so fast, and even though it’s what I want, I’m terrified” (Sanchez 325). Julia realizes that her life will change completely when she leaves for college. She will leave her home city and her closest friends Lorena, Juanga, and even Connor. On page 335, Lorena tells her that Julia will be too busy with her new life, and part of Julia wonders if it was true. “Here is my chance to be completely independent for once in my life” (Sanchez 324). Julia is finally going to be away from her parents as well in New York, which also means that she will have full independence and be able to do anything without Amá or Apá’s supervision.

Going to college won’t affect just Julia either. Julia’s entire family will also be affected by her choice of pursuing a college education. Amá and Apá never went to college, instead, they dropped out early and started to work to support their family. At Julia’s cousin Victor’s party, we are introduced to Freddy, Julia’s cousin. “No one else [in Julia’s family] has ever gone to a real college” (Sanchez 80). Freddy was the only person in Julia’s family to go to a real college because everyone else believes that family is more important. By going to college, Julia wants to show her family that being a writer is as good as Olga’s office job. 

Julia’s family follows a set of beliefs that are similar to every Mexican culture. Women cook, clean, take care of family, and men work all day. Julia strongly opposes these ideas, and she used to argue with Amá and her family about religion because of it. “Once, I ruined Thanksgiving by going on a rant about the women having to cook all day while the men just sat around, scratching their butts” (Sanchez 21). However, Julia going to college and becoming a writer redefines these stereotypes and motivates more Mexican women like her to pursue things other than just taking care of family. 

Going to college is like a new coming of age to Julia. She will experience new sets of goals and difficulties. She will also be far away from her home city, Chicago, and her friends. However, her family will be affected, especially Amá and Apá. This will also set a new precedent for her culture as a whole by breaking the stereotype of typical Mexican women. Julia Reyes has been a big inspiration for Mexican teenagers that struggle with an identity all over the world.