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I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter Sparknotes

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By all means; the Imperfect Mexican-American When I was younger, I couldn't fathom what my parents meant when they said ‘‘Cruce la frontera para que tengan una mejor vida,’’ In other words, I crossed the border for my children to have the future they longed for; their American dream. I understood the troubles and sacrifices they went through and felt the pain they carried for leaving their motherland, yet I didn't understand what life they were looking for me and my sisters. Years later, one afternoon, my sister greets us with the news that she got accepted to college, I thought this is it, the better life my parents wished for us, the sacrifices they made are paying off, yet to my surprise what was suppose to be proudness turned out to be …show more content…

The novel I am not your perfect Mexican Daughter explained the life of the Mexican-American family and tied it all together to these Mexican values, especially from the life of immigrant parents, it consolidates all of this into the talk of mental health especially the outcome of dealing with the Mexican and American values here in the United …show more content…

Olga was the perfect daughter who did not go to college, followed all rules, and put family above anything. While Julia is her complete opposite; troubled, outspoken, and independent, with many dreams of attending college and becoming a writer. Throughout the book, Julia struggles with accepting the role of being a perfect Mexican daughter, handling adolescence and her parents’ high expectations; after all her sister was the one who was the perfect one. However soon she discovers not everything is as black and white as it once seemed and starts to discover the truth behind being the perfect Mexican-American daughter. I am not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sanchez is accurate with its truthful portrayal of the immigrant experience for Mexicans and the unfortunate history they have held when it comes to deportation, it provides a fair understanding of what the Mexican culture truly is and the values they uphold, while also providing a useful depiction of what it means to deal with mental health moreover giving more insight of the life of a teenage girl who is coping with grief and

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The book I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez shows an imbalance of power in many aspects, from the truth of living in a household where Julia, the main character, does not feel loved to feeling embarrassed about having immigrant parents and being poor. Having immigrant parents and them being immigrants and poor are the hardships that Julia Reyes has to endure. Olga, Julia’s sister, died, which made everything worse for her. Ama also never stopped comparing her "slob daughter," Julia, to the "perfect" Olga, even after Olga's death. In I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, the person or thing that holds the power is Ama because she controls Julia's emotions and, in a way, money.

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In the book Mexican White Boy, Matt de la Pea looks at the challenges of cultural diversity, identity, and belonging. The story which is set in suburban California, follows the journey of Danny Lopez, a young man who battles prejudice and assumptions as he tries to understand his mixed-race origins and find his place in society. In the book, diversity and cultural identity are the main themes. Danny experiences a sense of displacement and uncertainty about his place in society as a result of his mixed heritage, he is half-Mexican and half-white.

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The book I chose to read for our lit circle unit was “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” by Erika L. Sanchez. The story is an interesting read from start to finish full of twists and turns in the storyline. The main conflicts in the story are between Ama, Julia's mom, and Julia herself who always seem to be butting heads because they are coping with grief in different ways. Julia also has a major internal conflict with herself because she is self-conscious about her appearance around others and she at first blames herself for Olga’s death. The main theme of the book is the value of secrecy which can be seen once the story starts to unfold and the secrets that were once hidden rise to the surface.

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In this article, Author Gloria Anzaldua writes about growing up in America as a Mexican-American and the struggles that she faced due to the language barrier. Gloria claims that she grew up around a variety of different forms of both Spanish and English, “Standard English, working class/slang English, standard Spanish, Standard Mexican Spanish, and North Mexican Spanish dialect”, are just a few. The language spoken, or combinations of the languages correlate with where the Hispanic person was originally from and where in the U.S. they are now, for example, “Chicano Spanish” is spoken in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Another focus of this article is how Gloria would be punished in school for speaking in her native tongue and then at home by her for not speaking English properly. Gloria also felt the university she attended made the Hispanics take two speech classes, “in order to get rid of our accents”, she claims.

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For example, “ holding a pencil over a small notepad ready to write down anything I had to say. I don’t know. Things about our basic rights, like we’re free to walk here- we’re US citizens.” This shows that her passion for standing up for herself and all the other Mexican families caused the kids to treat her differently. This conflict helps enhance the theme by showing that some people have to deal with unimaginable

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The immigrants entering the United States throughout its history have always had a profound effect on American culture. However, the identity of immigrant groups has been fundamentally challenged and shaped as they attempt to integrate into U.S. society. The influx of Mexicans into the United States has become a controversial political issue that necessitates a comprehensive understanding of their cultural themes and sense of identity. The film Mi Familia (or My Family) covers the journey and experiences of one Mexican-American (or “Chicano”) family from Mexico as they start a new life in the United States. Throughout the course of the film, the same essential conflicts and themes that epitomize Chicano identity in other works of literature

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kSiddharth Shankar Ms. Hamrick English 9 HN 20 January 2023 In I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sanchez, fifteen-year-old Julia Reyes comes to terms with the death of her elder sister, Olga, where she finds herself amidst the pressures and expectations of growing up in a Mexican family. As Julia continues to uncover secrets about her sister, she comes face to face with more unsettling truths about her family’s past. Furthermore, while Olga’s secrets disclose progressively, Julia develops many of her own, and her inner conflicts descend into chaos as the relationship with her family and friends fluctuates drastically. Julia’s taciturn and clandestine manner is by far the most significant point in the strength of said relationship

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The novel I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez portrays a stark contrast between the personality of the protagonist, Julia, and the cultural expectations imposed upon her as a Mexican-American woman. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is a semi-autobiographical novel, drawing from author Erika L. Sánchez's own experiences growing up as a Mexican-American woman in Chicago. The novel tackles a variety of complex themes, including mental illness, family dynamics, and the immigrant experience in America. In the beginning of the story Julia’s sister Olga gets in a accedent with a truck and is run over. Julia’s mom thought of Olga as a perfect daughter and after Olga’s passing, Julias mom is constantly comparing Julia to Olga in every aspect of life.

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Having freedom can change the course of anyone’s life. People find it so important since they want to be in control of themselves and be able to do what they want. Some types of freedom are more beneficial to certain people than others. One of these freedoms is personal freedom, which allows individuals to express themselves and make choices in their life. These different types of freedoms are portrayed by characters in the novel I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez.

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Being a child of immigrant parents makes you appreciate life so much because everyday it’s an opportunity to be the best you can be to make everyone around you proud. My parents can’t got back to school and get an education so being able to see me succeed is worth their hard work. My parents have taught me to never give up. I know that some doors may be closed on me but that doesn’t mean other doors won’t open. I want to be someone who represents the Hispanic community.

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