“I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” Debuts On Stage And Proves To Be A Huge Hit

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The beloved bestselling novel I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter captivated just about every Latina in 2017. So when it was announced that the book, which follows 15-year-old Julia as she learns to cope with her older sister’s death, was getting the stage treatment, we were beyond thrilled.

Now, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter is officially on stage and once again breaking hearts.

The theatrical adaptation, which is written by Chicago playwright Isaac Gómez, retells the story of Julia a girl stricken by the grief of her sister’s untimely death. Always under her parents’ watch, Juila questions her sister’s death as well as how to deal with her own issues with self-esteem. In the midst of her suffering, she decides to fight her way out of her family’s financially poor living conditions and into college outside of Chicago.

Speaking to Teen Vogue about the adaptation of her book, author Erika Sánchez spoke about her motivation for the book.

“I felt like I wanted to write the book I needed as a kid, [the one] young girls of color also need,” Sánchez said explaining that she wanted to write a book that “makes [young people] feel less alone, that someone understands them and what they’re going through.”

The 90-minute play made its debut in Chicago last week.

Actress Karen Rodriguez plays the part of Julia and told Teen Vogue she fell in love with the book because of its relevance. “I think the biggest thing that struck me the most was [Julia’s] journey of discovering that she is not okay mentally. She is going through a serious bout of depression,” Rodriguez explained to Teen Vogue. “I want young women that look like me and people who are outside of that experience to realize that Mexicans and brown people are not monoliths. It’s important to relate to experiences that might feel outside of your immediate experience, but actually you can totally relate to.”

 The show will run through April 5.

On March 13 there will be a special Spanish captioned performance. Tickets are $20.