The House on Mango Street

by Sandra Cisneros

Book Overview

A TODAY SHOW #ReadWithJenna BOOK CLUB PICK

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - A coming-of-age classic about a young girl growing up in Chicago - Acclaimed by critics, beloved by readers of all ages, taught in schools and universities alike, and translated around the world--from the winner of the 2019 PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature.

"Cisneros draws on her rich Latino] heritage...and seduces with precise,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679734775
• ISBN13: 9780679734772
• Release Date: April 1991
• Publisher: Vintage
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.1" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A thought provoking read

“She knows what it is to live a life filled with regrets, and she doesn’t want her daughter to live that life too.” This series of vignettes, like a series of clouds with countless names, was a beautiful dedication to the circumstances of generational trauma. With snippets of a young girl’s life, we can see what it is like for Esperanza Cordero to grow up in Chicago as a Latina girl. Throughout the novel, Sandra Cisneros uses countless metaphors to ensure her character Esperanza, a representation of many young girls, can mask her trauma with her head in the clouds. Even still, the breaking of innocence, enforcement of roles, and impeding eyes of old Hispanic men was inevitable. With the evident avoidance of problems and rising pressure to leave home, symbols of simple pleasures are displayed around Esperanza as warnings to run and be the outlier in her community. I have annotated this book from cover to cover and with good reason. It’s poetic prose brought back so many memories and experiences I’ve faced in the past. This was a beautiful read and with countless themes to talk about.

"very good condition" not accurate

I know I take a risk purchasing a used book, but I would have considered "very good condition" to indicate little to no handwritten notes and no water damage to the book. We won't be able to use the book for school in this condition. Should have been labeled differently.

Covered in Writing

The book itself is fine, but every page is completely covered in underlining and pen notes. For a book labelled “good” condition, I expect there not to be equally as many handwritten notes as typed words on the page. Very distracting while trying to read, would not purchase again

Powerful work!

I loved this. I felt like I was reading someone’s diary. It’s very personal. Several sections here really moved me to tears. Just a great read, and essential to anyone who is looking to explore works on Latino culture in the States.

Edition sent is not what is pictured

The edition sent not what pictured so now I had to go out and purchase another because my son's teacher would not accept. And I am stuck with this one.

Book condition is bad

Ordered a "very good" condition book, received an "acceptable w/ lots of notes" book, very disappointed service....

An unconventional coming-of-age story

A collection of short stories telling the coming-of-age story of Esperanza. A collection of short stories which also tell the tale of a neighborhood and the people who occupy it. A collection of short stories that anyone of any age can pick up and read. The House on Mango Street is a book that can be read many times and different things will be noticed each time. Different things will be noticed by readers of different ages. House on Mango Street is a hauntingly beautiful tale of Esperanza's growth as a person. A young Chicana woman coming of age in a not-so-innocent world. We see stories of childlike innocence told by Esperanza. We also see stories that cover mature themes as perceived by a child. We see the aspirations of a young person get molded by her own development and surroundings. A dedication to the community she has grown up in. A desire for freedom. An examination of those trapped by prisons out of their control and self-inflicted. A flow of consciousness writing style that reminds us of how we remember people from our own past. Some characters and stories seem to stick with the reader long after they close the book. In some places, the reader is bombarded with so many names that they lose significance. Sandra Cisneros' technique of writing in vignettes makes reading the book a breeze. Yet, it hides many deeper themes that a reader can miss at first glance. The vignettes can be misleadingly simple while covering complex themes. House on Mango Street can be read from any point or by any reading level. I'm not sure if this bold decision is genius or maddening for a reader expecting a conventionally written book. It caught me off by surprise. It wasn't until I gave some chapters a second reading that I started to comprehend what Cisneros was getting at. It's not the sort of book I usually read. Yet, I'm glad I picked it up. 3/5. Good while being unfocused. Like a child's mind. Would recommend it for teens and adults alike.

Paints a beautiful image of childhood immigration

I thought the vignette style of this children's novel painted a realistic and mature image of what it means to immigrate to America as a Latina girl. It helped me a lot to understand these complex issues.

The House on Mango Street

Would you like to visit an old Hispanic neighbor ? You'll lov the neighbors and friends.

Wrong edition.

Edition sent is not as pictured. Also lots of hand-written notes and highlighting.

The House On Mango Street has become one of my faves!

It's rare to find books that are relatable to the experience of growing up Latina in a poor neighborhood. Simple yet powerful little book, I am glad I found it!

The House on Mango Street

Ever wondered what it means to have a Latina point of view? Mango Street communicates that flavor in so many ways. In a tiny little tome, Cisneros talks dreams and disappointments, shocks and pure peacefulness. It's a special book-trinket to me.

Releí este libro como diez años después y valió toda la espera.

El estilo de Cisneros es unico y facil de leer. Hace un buen trabajo diciendo miles de cosas en unas cuantas palabras. Cisneros's style is simple and easy to read. She does a great job saying thousands of things in just a few words!

Excellent book

Great read, everyone should read this book.

Blown away and still recovering

mesmerizing

I have read this book aloud, in English and Spanish, to students grade 3-5 and they were all MESMERIZED by it. The reason is that they had never heard a book written in a child's voice, about everyday experiences similar to their own. The part about one of the girls being tempted to kiss the bum for a dollar got a great discussion going, with many students giving their opinion about what the girl should or should not do. Also, Elena Poniatowska did an amazing job of translating from English to Spanish. Nothing was lost, not even the voice. Poniatowska is an author in her own right, and therefore was able to achieve a perfect translation.

The House on Mango Street

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is a wonderfully written novel about a young Latino girl growing up in Chicago. Instead of writing the book as one long story she tells the story of Esperanza with short stories, written like a diary. Cisneros separates each story by going to a new chapter. The book follows Esperanza from when she is a very young girl until she is a young adult in high school. Cisneros does a wonderful job of starting out writing from the point of view of a young child and then gradually alters the writing to eventually reflect that of a teenager. Esperanza's growing up experience gives her many convictions. She does not want to live on Mango Street and be poor. Her goal in life is to succeed and then come back and help the people that continue to live on Mango Street. By observing the people around her she decided she does not want a man to run her life. Through Esperanza's experiences and convictions Cisneros brings up many of the hardships that immigrants undergo moving into the United States. As well as poverty Cisneros bring up the language barrier and adjusting to a different culture. She also depicts much of the Latino culture, examples being the role of women and the importance of family. The beginning of the novel could be difficult for some people to get into because the chapters start out so short and do not really flow into one another very well, but I would urge you to stick with is as the book is well worth it. I would highly recommend this book not just for entertainment purposes but also if you are interested in learning more about Latinos.

A wonderful underated book? Let me explain the meaning....

I read some reviews for this book and I could not believe how underated it is and how many people didn't understand it. Some people say that it is just a collection of random thoughts, but that is not the case. You see, this book a whole story and instead of having chapters of episodes, it contains "vignettes" which the dictionary defines as "a short descrioptive literary sketch". Each vignette contains an important part of the story. The whole story describes the thoughts, feelings, and meories of Esperanza, an hispanic girl living in the poverty corner of the city, with dreams to escape her world. At the same time, she grows up and starts to leave her childhood, while learning about the fears and dangers of the world she never knew of before. Becomeing an adult turns out to be a hard challenge. The first vignette called "House On Mango Street" is meant to describe the setting. The second "Hairs" describes the looks and characteristics of the characters. The third called "Boys and Girls" tells the difference between genders, which is important because the story deals with men and women. The following vignette called "My Name" paints the image of self and the feelings of hope and the future. Therefore, these vignettes are not mere collections of random thoughts and uneducated language, but a poetic story with a well drawn setting, characterization, and gripping tone. Even though the story evolves around hispanics, this is a book for all races. The poverty and dreams of home remind me of the experiences of African-Americans and Chinese, as well as Caucasians. When I was in a Creative Writing class, we wrote many vignettes and if you are a student in Creative Writing you HAVE to get this book and share it with your class and teacher. It will help you understand the importance writing free verses, for this is the best example of vignettes I have ever seen. The voice of the author does not sound profesional or too fancy, but like the ordinary words people say today. it is a story of our time and a tale for all. My only complaint is that it was too short! I wanted to know more about what Esperanza does and her wishes. I also wanted to know what happened to her after the story. Even so, it is pretty plain to see that Esperanza learned how to escape from her cruel world, unlike the people who never knew where she went. I haven't seen such an exquisite story of our modern times since I read the "Joy Luck Club" about two years ago. If you want to read a beautiful story about growing up, living life, and with musical poetry, you must read this book.

This book truly inspired me.

This book truly gave me hope. It made me want to get up and write more than usally. Sandra is my favorite female writer, i have all her books and this trully is the better of the ones. This book was one of the first Cisneros's I read and this made me want to purchase more( in which I did).