Yes, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter Is Banned!

Erika L. Sánchez’s National Book Award finalist is about Julia Reyes, a Chicago teenager whose older sister Olga was everything their traditional Mexican immigrant parents wanted: obedient, devout, and uncomplaining. When Olga dies in an accident, Julia discovers secrets that suggest her perfect sister wasn’t so perfect. The novel follows Julia as she grieves, rebels, grapples with depression, and fights for the right to want more than the life her parents planned for her. Sánchez writes about the specific pressure of being a first-generation daughter with humor, anger, and deep affection for the community she’s also critiquing.

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter was challenged 11 times in the 2024-2025 PEN America data, with bans in Florida, Iowa, and Tennessee school districts. The challenges cite sexual content, language, and drug references. The book has become a touchstone for Mexican American teen readers who see their own family dynamics reflected in Julia’s story. Banning it removes one of the few widely available YA novels centered on a first-generation Latina protagonist dealing with grief, mental health, and cultural expectations. The book was a National Book Award finalist and has been adopted into curricula nationwide, making its appearance on ban lists a direct conflict between educational value and content objections.