Crying in the Bathroom

In this collection of personal essays, Erika L. Sánchez recounts her life as a daughter of undocumented Mexican immigrants growing up in the Chicago suburbs. She details her lifelong battle with severe depression, her rejection of traditional Catholic expectations, and her pursuit of a literary career. The narrative follows her through specific experiences including her time living as an expatriate in Madrid, her obsession with comedy and Morrissey, and her physical struggles with chronic yeast infections and a difficult pregnancy. She focuses on the realities of being a brown woman who is often loud, angry, and ambitious in spaces that expect quietude.

Readers interested in blunt accounts of the immigrant experience and female desire will find a candid perspective here. The book serves those who want to see the messy intersection of mental illness, body image, and artistic ambition without filtered language. Readers walk away with a clear picture of how one person navigated the tension between cultural duty and personal autonomy. It provides a look at the specific loneliness of being a first-generation intellectual while maintaining a sense of humor about failure and social awkwardness.