The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

ISBN: 0-679-73477-5
Vintage Contemporaries, NY 1991 (original edition, Arte Publico Press, 1984)
110 pages

Plot Summary

Esperanza loves her family but dreams of more. She is disappointed because when her parents told her they would be moving to their own house, she pictured it like the houses on TV, white with 3 bathrooms, big yards and real stairs, not hallway stairs. Her father buys lottery tickets and they dream of a big house. Her parents say the house is "temporary" but Esperanza isn't so sure.

Critical Evaluation

Written in a series of short vignettes, this is a poetic and classic coming-of-age story for young Latinas. Much has been written about this book but the most telling is that it has been an inspiration for a couple of generations of girls and would-be writers. It is a good choice for reluctant readers.

Reader's Annotations

Esperanza lives in the poor Latino section of Chicago and aspires to own a beautiful home on a hill like the places where her father works as a gardener. She says that she would invite bums to live in the attic.

Author Info

Sandra Cisneros was born in Chicago in 1954. She worked as a teacher to high school dropouts and is an internationally acclaimed author of fiction and poetry. She is the daughter of a Mexican father and a Mexican-American mother and the sister to 6 brothers. She lives in San Antonio, Texas.

Genre

Latina coming-of-age story
Some consider this an early YA novel and others would call it adult-crossover

Curriculum Ties

On many high school required reading lists

Booktalking Ideas

1. Esperanza is excited to eat her rice sandwich in the school's canteen.

2. Beautiful Sally is beaten by her father and comes to stay with Esperanza's family.

Reading/Interest Level

High school and college for both; would be inappropriate for middle school

Challenge Issues and Defense

violence, child abuse and rape

the scenes are not graphic and the book is a modern classic

Why I Included This Book

I decided to re-read this book after An Na said that it was a major inspiration for her YA novel,
A Step from Heaven.