The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

• ISBN: 978-0679734772
• Plot summary: The House on Mango Street is a series of vignettes written by Esperanza Cordero, a young girl living in a "rough" neighborhood in Chicago. They explore her thoughts on various topics, such as her name, her neighbors, her sister, sleeping in the same room as all her family members, etc. She appeals to her neighbors for friendship desperately, even if they make rude comments to her face. At times, it seems that Esperanza is trying to reason with herself why they live where they live, whereas other times, Esperanza is illuminating the nature of one of her neighbors. For example, one of the girls on her block never leaves the front porch where she listens to music all night and looks like she could go out on the town any second. Another neighbor can't stand the oppressive nature of her household and marries as fast as she can to get out of her father's house.
• Critical evaluation: Through all the vignettes, a reader gets a sense of longing. The voice of Esperanza conveys that she is in need of something but at the same time, she does not blame anyone for her upbringing or the situation she is in. She simply states the facts of the place where she lives, and yet the simplicity of the prose is so beautiful and communicates so well to the reader. This is a cross-over adult novel, but because of the age of the main character, I believe a lot of young adults could relate to a novel like this.
• Reader's annotation: Esperanza's family has finally settled own in one place, but to be honest, she thought they'd be living better than this by now.
• About the author: Sandra Cisneros is the author of books of poetry and fiction for children, young adults, and adults alike. She lives in San Antonio.
• Genre: Fiction
• Curriculum ties, if any: None
• Booktalking ideas:
• Have you ever been ashamed of where you live?
• What do you think of the name Esperanza in relation to how Esperanza thinks of her name?
• Reading level/interest age: All.
• Challenge issues: Sexuality, some violence
• Why was this item included? This item has been recommended to me throughout my life, and I had several young people come ask for it at the library for a school project. I thought it was about time I read it too.