The House on Mango Street

Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. Alfred A. Knopf, 2003. ISBN-10:0-678-43335-X

Plot Summary
Esperanza lives in a house on Mango Street with her parents, her two brothers and her little sister Nenny. Esperanza tells not only her story but also the story of the whole neighborhood. Sally who is beautiful and good but whose father beats her runs away and gets married before she finishes 8th grade. There is Sire, who stands around laughing, talking, drinking beer with his arm around his girlfriend, who Esperanza's parents say is a punk. There is Mamacita who speaks no English and cries when her baby learns English. Told in short, stand alone chapters, the stories of these characters make up the neighborhood of Mango Street.

Critical evaluation
The House on Mango Street, originally published in 1984 has already won much critical praise and rightly so. It tells a story few other books do- the story of latino youth in the sixties. The format is akin to poetry- a series of vignettes all between two and six pages. Written in spoken English, every word is a description of the scene. I also found the author's note interesting, but would have preferred it as an afterword. I read this book straight-through, but would recommend reading it more slowly, stopping between the chapters.

Readers Annotations
The House on Mango Street is at once a novel and a collection of short stories that describe life in the latino neighborhood of Chicago. In these crowded city blocks, Esperanza knows everyone even though she doesn't understand everyone. She tells what she sees in a way that is both candid and dignified.

Information About the Author
Sandra Cisneros grew up in Chicago and Mexico City, moving frequently between the two places. Thus, she strongly identifies as Chicana and her works feature Mexican-American characters. Although none of her books were intended as young adult novels, her works appeal to a wide range of ages and are often taught to young adults in school.

Genre
Realistic fiction
Short story

Curriculum Ties
Chicano culture

Booktalking Ideas
Read one of the shorter chapters

Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 8+

Controversial Subject Matter and Defense of Ideas
This book is over twenty years old now, and has earned its place as a classic. It is now taught in many high schools and junior highs.



Why Book Included
I've never read this book, even though it is taught in many schools