Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. There's often so much writing on the

shoulders of young girls in this country. There's a pressure to look and talk and act a certain way,

but they're all coming from different parts of your life, pulling you in different directions.

In a bit, we'll head to the U.S.-Mexico border and hear about a girl who, despite, well, a lot, has to be the

one keeping her family together. But first, our friends at Latino USA did this interview in 2018

with the author Erica El Sanchez about her novel, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter. It is currently

being adapted into a Netflix movie by America Ferreira, and it's a YA book about a 15-year-old

girl named Julia, whose older sister Olga is the seemingly perfect one. You know, she gets the grades,

pleases the parents, all the big sister energy type stuff. And so when Olga dies suddenly,

the friction between Julia and her family, her mom in particular, can't help but get more intense.

And in this interview with Latino USA host Maria Hinojosa, they talk about how important it is to write about young girls who are difficult and flawed.

Because nobody's perfect.

In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.

Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors.

On our new show, Sources and Methods.

NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people,

helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.

Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Perfect.

Her name is Erica Sanchez, and her debut novel is called I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican

Daughter. In the novel, she tells the story of Julia and her particular relationship with her well-meaning immigrant parents.

The novel is set in Chicago, just like Erica's own life.

...