Product Description

Told in a series of vibrant vignettes, The House On Mango Street is the story of Esperanza Cordera, a young girl growing up in the Hispanic quarter of Chicago. For Esperanza, Mango Street is a desolate landscape of concrete and run-down tenements where she discovers the hard realities of life - the fetters of class and gender, the spectre of racial enmity and the mysteries of sexuality. Capturing her thoughts and emotions in poems and stories, Esperanza is able to rise above hopelessness and create for herself "a house all of my own quiet as snow, a space for myself to go" in the midst of her oppressive surroundings.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #271596 in Books
• Published on: 1991-12-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 110 pages

Review
'Cisneros writes from the heart of a child - bluntly and truthfully Everyone needs this book' Los Angeles Times 'Memorable the voice is unmistakable' Independent 'Cisneros draws on her rich [Latino] heritage and seduces with precise spare prose, creating unforgettable characters we want to lift off the page. She is not only a gifted writer but an absolutely essential one' New York Times Book Review 'Marvellous spare yet luminous. The subtle power of Cisneros's storytelling is evident. She communicates all the rapture and rage of growing up in a modern world' San Francisco Chronicle

Independent
'Memorable … the voice is unmistakable'

New York Times Book Review
‘She is not only a gifted writer but an absolutely essential one’

Customer Reviews

"I am a red balloon tied to an anchor."
A series of vignettes, rather than a structured novel, House on Mango Street is Sandra Cisneros's semi-autobiographical account of growing up Chicana in a poor area of Chicago. Esperanza Cordero, at age eleven, has already discovered that being able to communicate in English is a key to worldly success, and she has begun recording stories of her neighborhood, friends, and everyday life, hoping one day to become a writer. Recreating one year of her life, she vividly depicts the children's fierce loyalties to each other, their alienation from mainstream society, and their goals in life, sadly limited by the culture and its low expectations for girls and women.

Maintaining a childish innocence, Esperanza's first person account reveals her growing awareness of alternatives to her Mango Street existence. She is saddened that her friend Sally, an abused child, never escapes, marrying very early ("in a state where children can marry before they have finished eighth grade"). Alicia, an older, highly motivated friend, however, works to achieve an education and spends long hours traveling to and from school so that she can move beyond Mango Street. Her prescient Aunt Lupe tells Esperanza to "Keep writing. It will keep you free," and a psychic tells her that she must work hard and write so that she can "come back for those who cannot make it out on their own."

Dealing with everyday issues of maturity, a growing awareness of her own sexuality, and her resentment of a world which does not value women, Esperanza is an astute observer, telling stories filled with the humor, wonder, and sometimes heartbreak. As she tells about innocently riding in a stolen car; about the death of her friend Marin's boyfriend whose Mexican parents will never hear of his death because no one knows where to find them; about being assaulted while waiting for her friend Sally, who never answers her pleas for help; about Mamacita, who never leaves her apartment because she is cannot communicate in English; and about her own mother's inability to travel on public transportation because she is afraid, she recreates Mango Street with all its limitations--and excitements.

Like a red balloon which wants to escape its anchor, Esperanza dreams of having a better home, a better life, and greater opportunities. "I have decided not to grow up tame," she says, but she is firmly anchored to Mango Street through her experiences, and these, she discovers ironically, will eventually become the source material for her writing. Through Mango Street, Esperanza defines herself, but through her writing, she will set herself free. Mary Whipple

A hopeful Lationo girl's poignant display of her life.
People are scarred to go down Mango Street, the run down nieghborhood subject to much shame. Esperanza will captivate you as she displays the truth of the lower class Latino neighborhood by examining the unique inhabitants. Shame, beauty, destiny and love are familiar with the area as well.

Simple incite into growing in a Paternalistic community
Cisneros' series of vignettes is an interesting look at how a young girl feels growing up in paternalistic society. Determined not to grow up a victim like the women she sees around her, Esperanza, uses writing as a way of escape. While there is little action, there is many interesting, subtle observations which make this book readable.