First published 2022
Erika Sánchez examines her life through a collection of personal essays that span from her adolescence in 1990s Chicago to her current success as a writer. The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Sánchez describes her younger self as a misfit who wore black nail polish and frequently disrupted classes with uncontrollable laughter. She explores topics ranging from sexuality and mental health to the limitations of white feminism and the weight of cultural expectations. Her approach combines raw honesty with sharp humor, creating essays that feel like extended conversations with a close friend. Sánchez writes with the perspective of someone who has achieved recognition as a novelist, poet, and essayist while maintaining the rebellious spirit and keen observations that defined her youth. The book offers readers an unfiltered look at depression, identity, and the immigrant experience, delivered through Sánchez's distinctive voice that balances comedy with serious reflection. Her writing captures both the struggles of feeling like an outsider and the power that comes from embracing that position.
Genres: essays, family-life, gender-studies, feminism, autobiography, biography-memoir, 21st-century, cultural-studies
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: outsider, raw-honesty
Setting: Chicago
Period: 1990s
256 pages · Hardcover · Viking
Content warnings: depression, mental-illness