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Show Wed/Thurs/Fri, September 19-21, 2018 The Park Record C-3 Author reaches out to young adults Erika L. Sánchez will speak at the Park City Library SCOTT IWASAKI The Park Record Erika L. Sánchez published her first young adult novel “I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” in 2017 after years of writing essays and poetry that addressed her experiences of living in the United States as a child of Mexican immigrants and as a woman of color. The book, which also draws from her bicultural childhood, landed on the New York Times best-seller list and became a National Book Award finalist, which was an honor for Sánchez. “I always wanted to write a novel, but I didn’t know it would be for young adults,” she said. “As I started to plan the book, it made a lot of sense to market the story towards young people. I wanted it to reach young women, especial- I was suicidal as a teen, and I didn’t know how to ask for help...” Erika L. Sánchez, New York Times best-selling author ly. I felt like the young adult genre would be appropriate.” Sánchez will speak about the book, her career and her life on Thursday, Sept. 20, at the Park City Library, 1255 Park Ave. The author will speak at 7 p.m. and do a book signing at 8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. “I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” is about Julia, a rebellious teen who finds out some family secrets after her sister is killed. “There is a lot of conflict in the story between the protagonist Julia and her family,” Sánchez said. “Her family emigrated from Mexico, and Julia is a very Americanized teen. And that causes a lot of misunderstandings and resentment. I wanted to write a book that connected with young women, especially those who are part of the Latino community.” There is a lot of Sánchez in Julia, the author said. “I was a difficult teen,” she said. “I struggled with depression. I had a difficult relationship with my mother, but I never had a sister and I never lost anyone.” The book also addresses various issues, including mental health and sexuality, all of which was inspired by Sánchez’s life. “I, myself, struggle with bipolar disorder, and as person who has some kind of influence, I feel I need to push against the stigma,” she said. “I need to help people know that there is help available and that having mental illness isn’t their fault. I want to be a mental health advocate.” Sánchez also couldn’t ignore that the Center for Disease Con- BUY IT SELL IT TRADE IT RENT IT LOCALLY! To set up your personalized classified ad contact Jennifer at the Park Record 435.649.9014 ext. 125 Monday-Friday PHOTO BY ROBYN LINDEMANN New York Times best-selling author Erika L. Sánchez will speak about her career, her life and her new young adult novel, “I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter,” on Thursday, Sept. 20, at the Park City Library, 1255 Park Ave. The author will also do a book signing during the free event. trol and Prevention reported in 2015 that Latino teens have the highest rate of attempted suicide among adolescent groups in the United States. “This is something that alarms me, because I was suicidal as a teen, and I didn’t know how to ask for help,” Sánchez said. “I want to change this for young Latino women. I want to bring awareness to this issue and let them know that there is help available.” Julia’s story came together after Sánchez submitted an excerpt to her agent. Sánchez originally started writing an intergenerational story about a teenager, her mother and her grandmother, before her agent suggested she focus on the teenager. “As I made the transition, Julia’s voice just came to me. It felt very natural,” Sánchez said. Writing in itself comes naturally to Sánchez, who started putting pen to paper when she was 12. Her love for the craft clicked after reading the works of Edgar Allen Poe. “I was very artistic as a kid and Please see Author, C-7 People Banking With People It’s All About Relationships At For all of us at Grand Valley Bank, it’s really about building relationships. Not only are we the people you bank with, but we live in and are involved in our community. We understand your needs and connect with you better. We work to provide better customer service and earn your trust. Call Us Today 435-615-2265 1225 Deer Valley Dr. Park City grandvalleybank.com The Potashner Bohannon Intermountain Group at Morgan Stanley Richard Potashner Senior Vice President Financial Advisor Jesse Bohannon Financial Advisor Kelli A. Brown Senior Registered Client Associate 60 East South Temple Suite 2000 Salt Lake City, UT 84111 801–322–7681 richard.potashner@ morganstanley.com www.morganstanleyfa.com/ thepotshner group |