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title: I'm not your perfect Mexican daughter

author: Erika L. Sanchez

name: leonardo fuentes

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Erika L. Sanchez is a Mexican American poet/writer. Her other works consist the poetry collection called "lesson on expulsion", and the novel "crying in the bathroom". Daughter of Mexican immigrant parents, she was born in cicero Illinois and has 2 brothers. The novel "I'm not your perfect Mexican daughter" was a finalist for the 2017 national book award for young people. That same novel won the 2018 Tomas Rivera award

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erika_S%C3%A1nchez

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After Julia's sister, Olga, has died Julia decided to search her room. Her sister was a very unproblematic and of pure heart so when Julia found suggestive clothing and emails to secret lover she decided to delve deeper into her past. While she was trying to find past she must also deal with her own mental health issues and her mom constantly berating her.

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The book is in 1st person. we see the book through the eyes of Julia the main character. All her experiences and feeling are told to us in almost a journal kind of way.

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Julia: Julia Reyes is the main character and is an incredibly determined and ambitious person. She is described to be a brown skin Mexican girl and the book constantly mentions how she is heavier than the other people in her family. I think this just shows how incredibly separated from family even at a physical level.

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Rafael Reyes: Julia Reyes dad, he is an incredibly glum and depressive person who only want to provide and support his family. He is said to have thick black facial hair and particularly empty eyes and looks rather soulless.

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The most constant theme is of lies and secrets. Julia finds out about the secret life her sister Olgas hidden child and lover. People close to Olga lie to Julia so that she wouldn't find about her sisters life. Her parents withhold the tragic event that happened to them from Julia so she wouldn't have to be burdened. The search for truth to the lies and secrets is what drives the story

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exposition: Olga dies

rising action: life event keep piling up on Julia as she tries to figure out Olgas double life

climax: Julia attempts to kill herself, she survives and her parents send her to Mexico

falling action: Julia returns to America and finds out Olgas secret lover and gets accepted to college

resolution: Julia lives with the burden of her sisters secret and goes to college

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Chicago: The story is primarily set in cramped and dangerous part of Chicago. Julia primarily stays here and she doesn't like the cramped setting so she hates her surroundings and is constantly venturing out of her general area.

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Los ojos Mexico: This town is much more spread out and and inviting than her home town. The overall calming atmosphere allows Julia to relax and think clearly about the situation she is in. She also learns that her mother was raped when she crossed the border so now Julia understand why her mother is the way she is and Julia gains more empathy for her.

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The most significant even in the story is when Julia has a failed suicide attempt. This causes her mother to truly realize how mentally unwell she is and actually tries to work with her. Julia is also sent to Mexico where she destresses and finds out about her parent tragedy crossing the border and now she also makes an effort to work with them as well.

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symbolism: the quinceanera represents how her parents desire to transform Julia into the perfect Mexican daughter. Julia's parents want her to fit this specific standard so the quinceanera is them trying to transform her into that perfect daughter.

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symbolism: hunger/food in the story represents Julia's desire for more in life. She lives in a poor family so there isn't much to eat at her house so she constantly is hungry and leaves the house to eat. This shows she want to be out and find more in life.

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symbolism: In the story Julia's mom constantly berates Julia for being an improper woman and she cant be woman if she doesn't even know how to make a tortilla. The tortilla represents the typical Mexican tradition/standard that a Mexican woman should follow that Julia's mom tries to enforce on Julia.

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symbolism: Books symbolize escapism for Julia when she gets stressed. She loves reading and uses books as an escape for when life gets too much for her.

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"I'd rather live in the streets than be a submissive Mexican wife who spends all her say cooking and cleaning"- Julia

This mindset is what separates Julia from her family in terms of culture. She believes women should be able to do what they want while the rest of her family wants her to be a traditional wife. This is one of the main points Julia and her mom argue over the course of the book.

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"Maybe you're too young to understand but sometimes people don't need the truth"-Julia's aunt

Julia is trying to expose her sisters past so that her parents will know even though it would destroy them. This quote is what persuades her to not tell her parents and to keep some secrets as secrets.

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"I don't understand why everyone just complains about who I am. What am I supposed to do? say I'm sorry? I'm sorry I cant be normal? I'm sorry I'm such a bad daughter? I'm sorry I hate the life I have to live."- Julia

This quote directly shows how overwhelmed Julia is with how she is perceived by her family which is factor in why she later attempts suicide.

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"as I look around the room, I wonder who my sisters was. I lived with her my whole life and now I feel like I didn't know her at all"-Julia

The guilt of not truly knowing her sister is why she launches as investigation into her past.

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Julia represent the first generation Mexican culture. She lives with a struggling family and has many different views culturally compared to her traditional Mexican family. Being presented with chances and an environment with more potential than México Julia want to take advantage of that while her parent think she should be at the house cooking and cleaning because that is what's to be expected.

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Connor, Julia's love interest, represent a generalized white American culture. He lives in a big house in the suburbs and and has a family who quite well off. He never really had to struggle in much of his life and common experiences for him and grand when Julia experience's them.

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pursima; translates to purest. adjective, free of contamination

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propitious: noun, giving or indicating a good chance of success

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prig: noun, self righteously moralistic person who behaves as if superior to others.