ABSTRACT
I examine Ashley Hope Pérez’s debut novel, which centers on the life of 17-year-old Marisa Moreno, who lives with her Mexican immigrant parents, Patricia and Omar, her older sister, older brother, and young niece in Houston, Texas. Due in large part to her enthusiasm and talent for calculus, I classify Marisa as a math nerd, arguing that the novel presents readers with critical insight into Marisa’s calculus ChicaNerd identity. As I argue, this text rejects, among other issues, problematic stereotypes of working-class Chicanx families as perceived “obstacles” that prevent Marisa from obtaining a college education; the “white savior” myth; rape culture; and racist beliefs that Chicanx families do not care about education. Though not authored by a Chicana writer, I classify the text as Chicana because of its validating representation of Marisa and the Moreno family.
