The House on Mango Street

1 About this book

The House on Mango Street is a 1983 novel by the Mexican-American author Sandra Cisneros. Structured as a series of vignettes, it tells the story of Esperanza Cordero, a 12-year-old Chicana girl growing up in the Hispanic quarter of Chicago. Based in part on Cisneros's own experience, the novel follows Esperanza over the span of one year as she enters adolescence and begins to face the realities of life as a young woman in a poor and patriarchal community. Elements of the Mexican-American culture and themes of social class, race, sexuality, identity, and gender are interwoven throughout the novel.

The House on Mango Street is considered a modern classic of Chicano literature and has been the subject of numerous academic publications in Chicano studies and feminist theory. The book has sold more than 6 million copies, has been translated into over 20 languages, and is required reading in many schools and universities across the United States.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Good for readers who want: a coming-of-age story, short stories, and a short read.

• Mexican Americans
• Coming of age
• Bildungsromans
• Girls
• Short stories
• Adolescence
• Modern Literature
• Adolescent