Extra Credit Review #2: THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET

Cisneros, Sandra.  The House on Mango Street.  New York:  Random House, 1984. Print.

Annotation:  Esperanza Cordero lives in a rundown house in a rundown neighborhood. She does not like who she is nor where she lives. She does not even like her name.  She is not hopeful.  Only when she learns to embrace her reality does she begin to believe in the possibility and hope of a brighter future for herself and others who live on Mango Street.

Justification for Nomination:
     Written in a series of  short, easy-to-read scenes and dialogues related by Esperanza herself, The House on Mango Street is a multicultural, coming of age novel that symbolizes the desperation vs. hope of living as a minority in an urban environment.  Day in, day out, Esperanza describes the goings-on of herself, her family, and those in the neighborhood where life is constantly evolving but seems to her to be going nowhere.  The reader however is aware of the incidences occurring around her that are allowing/causing Esperanza to grow up and discover who she is in terms of her surroundings.   The author's attention to detail in Esperanza's descriptions of all that is Mango Street are indicative of the complexity of this process as she tells her story. Gradually, as she begins to accept who she is, she begins to write her story.  It is then that she realizes that her truth will set her free, and she begins to see beyond the sad, red house on Mango Street to whom she can become. When the reader closes the book, s/he will know that the stories of this young girl will continue to live on to inspire others who, like the neighbors of Mango Street, believe they are victims of their surroundings.  As her name indicates, Esperanza brings hope to the reader of The House on Mango Street.

     Without hesitation, I would recommend this book to be considered for an award for literary excellence.

Genres:  Multicultural, Coming of Age