The House on Mango Street

Title: The House on Mango Street

Author: Sandra Cisneros

Pages: 110

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The book is a collection of brief vignettes of the life of Esperanza Cordero who lives on Mango Street in a segregated area of Chicago. The story is about the coming-of-age of Esperanza as she begins to more closely watch and relate to the women in the area and tries to put words to her feelings. Her deepest desire is to eventually have a house of her very own.

My Review: I think that this would also be an interesting book to read again now that I better understand the themes and structure of the book. I liked how the book was set up as a collection of 40+ short vignettes or chapters. It made the book very easy to read in short bursts. The book paints a very thought-provoking picture of Esperanza's dreams, impressions, desires and thoughts.

From the Book: "(p. 73) Everything is holding its breath inside me. Everything is waiting to explode like Christmas. I want to be all new and shiny. I want to sit out bad at night, a boy around my neck and the wind under my skirt. Not this way, every evening talking to the trees, leaning out my window, imagining what I can't see."