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Book Summary

Reviewed by Kate Pavao

In lyrical language, a young girl discusses growing up in a poor, Latino neighborhood. She tells her story in short vignettes, describing her friends, her family, her neighbors, and her dream to have a "house all my own... Only a house quiet as snow, a space for myself to go, clean as paper before the poem."

Is It Any Good?

4

Esperanza Cordero writes about her house on Mango Street with "windows so small you'd think they were holding their breath;" her mother, who quit school and pushes her to continue her education; and her friend Sally, who gets married too young to escape her house, and ends up a virtual prisoner to her husband. In these short, poetic installments, Sandra Cisneros captures the sadness and desperation Esperanza sees among her neighbors, especially the women, the confusion that comes with growing up -- and the beauty in small moments, like riding a bike with friends.

Readers may not be able to relate exactly to Esperanza's world -- which includes one room for the whole family to sleep in, men who prey on young girls, and husbands and fathers who mistreat their children -- but they will understand her quest for a better life, and the importance of her promise to come back for "the ones I left behind."

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