Reviewed by Andrea Bledsoe King
Julia (pronounced HOO(lee)a not JEWELah) has always lived in her older sister’s, Olga, shadow. At fifteen years old, Julia knows she has bigger dreams than her 22 year old sister. She wants to hurry up and graduate so she can move out and move on to become the “best writer who has ever graced this earth.” It seemed Olga never wanted more than go to community college and work part time so she could take care of their parents.
After all, according to Julia and Olga’s Ama’ a woman’s place is with her family and there is no need to work outside the home. Even though Olga was frumpy and dressed like an old woman at such a young age, Julia loved her older sister and was jealous of her anyway.
Tragedy strikes when Olga walks in front of a speeding bus and is killed instantly. For whatever the reason, Julia now wants to find who the real Olga was because nobody can be perfect all the time.
Nosing around in Olga’s room to find clues and asking her friends’ questions that are really none of her business, Julia finds out Olga was hardly the perfect daughter, after all. Will these shocking revelations cause Julia to feel closer to her dead sister or will she just be disgusted with all of it?
Find out in Erika Sanchez’ YA novel, I am not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter.