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The House on Mango Street

The House on Mango Street

Summary

The House on Mango Street is one of the most cherished novels of the last fifty
years. Readers from all walks of life have fallen for the voice of Esperanza
Cordero, growing up in Chicago and inventing for herself who and what she will
become. “In English my name means hope,” she says. “In Spanish it means too
many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting."

Told in a series of vignettes—sometimes heart breaking, sometimes
joyous—Cisneros’s masterpiece is a classic story of childhood and
self-discovery. It is also one of the greatest neighbourhood novels of all time.
Like Sinclair Lewis’ Main Street or Toni Morrison’s Sula, it makes a world
through people and their voices, and it does so in language that is poetic and
direct. Acclaimed by critics, a staple in schools, translated into dozens of
languages, this gorgeous coming-of-age novel is a celebration of the power of
telling one’s story and of being proud of where you come from.

Reviews

  • Cisneros is not only a gifted writer, but an absolutely essential one
    The New York Times Book Review

About the author

Sandra Cisneros

SANDRA CISNEROS is a poet, novelist, essayist, performer, and
artist. Her awards include NEA fellowships in poetry and fiction, a MacArthur
Fellowship, the PEN America Literary Award, the National Medal of Arts, the
Ford Foundation's Art of Change Fellowship, and the PEN/Nabokov Award for
Achievement in International Literature. A citizen of the United States and
Mexico, Cisneros lives in San Miguel de Allende.
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