MJ

“In some ways, I think that part of what of what I'm trying to accomplish, whether Amá really understands it or not, is to live for her Apá, and Olga. It's not that I'm living life for them, exactly, but I have so many choices they've never had. And I feel like I can do so much with what I've been given. What a waste their journey would be if I just settled for a dull mediocre life.”
― Erika L. Sánchez, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

“I don’t know why it surprises me that the world doesn’t stop just because I’m gone.”
― Erika L. Sánchez, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

“How do we tie our shoes, brush our hair, drink coffee, wash the dishes, and go to sleep, pretending everything is fine? How do we laugh and feel happiness despite the buried things growing inside? How can we do that day after day?”
― Erika L. Sánchez, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

“Be careful. Please. The border…The fucking border.” I feel a wildness spreading through me. “It’s nothing but a giant wound, a big gash between the two countries. Why does it have to be like that? I don’t understand. It’s just some random, stupid line. How can anyone tell people where they can and can’t go?”
― Erika L. Sánchez, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter