This Is Not a Personal Statement

Tracy Badua is an award-winning Filipino American author of books about young people with sunny hearts in a sometimes stormy world. By day, she is an attorney who works in national housing policy, and by night, she squeezes in writing, family time, and bites of her secret candy stash. She lives in San Diego, California.

“Not only is this book endlessly compelling, it is a master class in character.”  — Buzzfeed“I read this book with my heart in my throat, increasingly breathless as I turned the pages. This Is Not a Personal Statement is both a poignant coming-of-age and a carefully plotted story of a lie that quickly spirals out of control. Tracy Badua is an author to watch.” — Rachel Lynn Solomon, New York Times bestselling author of See You Yesterday and Today Tonight Tomorrow"A compelling read that will speak to the many readers who will understand [Perla's] motivations all too well. An intense and heartfelt romp." — Kirkus ReviewsAttentively examining themes of guilt and outside pressures with cultural nuance and plenty of good-humored scheming, Badua cultivates a high-stakes narrative of self-discovery and the dangers in pursuing perfection.  — Publishers Weekly“Full of thoughtful exploration of the pressure of immigrant parents and elitism in college admissions.” — School Library Journal“At turns humorous, painful, and heartfelt, Perla’s story speaks to how we can lose ourselves to parental and communal expectations and how we can find our way back.” — Randy Ribay, award-winning author of Patron Saints of Nothing