Have you ever read a book for class that you couldn't relate to because of cultural differences?
Well, I have.
As a reader who loves and thoroughly enjoys the aspect of sitting down with a physical copy of a new book. That new book smells and a cup of coffee or tea in hand I love to read for my free time; however, I have realized that many of the books I have read all had things in common. None of the main characters were Latinx. The more I read and realized this, then the more I didn't want to continue reading books. Reading was a way for me to escape this world and enter a new one in the comfort of my bedroom. I couldn't fully emerge myself in a new world when my culture was underrepresented.
In my 2019 Spring semester at Mount Mary University, I took an Intro to Spanish Literature with an amazing professor. My professor, Dr. Jason Meyler without realizing it made me fall in love with reading again. I was missing my culture in a hobby I had. I read so many amazing pieces of Literature from both females and males from different places across our Spanish speaking countries. I woke up every Tuesday and Thursday excited to discuss a new work of art in his class. Because of Dr. Meyler and this class, I set myself a goal in the month of June. To read as many books as I possibly could. After reading many Spanish literature pieces i decided that this goal was intended to make me love my English literature books again.
Out of the many books I read, “I am Not Your Perfect Mexican- Daughter” by Erika Sanchez, really stood out to me.
I picked up the book in the English version but there is a Spanish version I am deciding if I want to re-read. This book is about a Mexican girl named Julia who is, just like the title says, "Not your perfect Mexican daughter." This was the first book that I read and actually enjoyed that was about a Mexican girl just like me. I highly recommend this book to read.
The thing I enjoyed a lot from this book was that someone the dialogue and jokes were in Spanish. They kept it true to a Mexican household and I was able to laugh about her cultural references because I related to them so much. This book also does a very great job of talking about the struggles of identity that comes with being Mexican and a part of the 21st century in the United States.
Below is a link to Erika L. Sanchez the author of the amazing book talk all about this wonderful book. It's pretty long but so worth it!
I only hope that one day I will get the chance to write a book that captures the essence of being a Mexican- American Women.
Here is the link to get yourself a copy of this beautiful book!