This book is SO boring. It took me 2 weeks to get past the first 2 pages, then another 3 months to read half the book. I have to finish this piece of crap by the end of summer (school assignment), and the district is making us do an 8 page packet! However, this book is good for something. If your having trouble sleeping, don't take pills, read this book, I guarantee you'll be asleep by the end the fist paragraph.

Hairs chapter is my favorite.....it's short and sweet.....as a latina, i can really appreciate having immediate family so rich in differences....that is the beauty of being latino, is that we are so unique!

I remember reading this book in seventh grade with my entire class. Perhaps I should have enjoyed it; it appears to be directed towards that age group exactly. Instead, I, an avid reader, struggled with this odd, rather poor book.

"The House on Mango Street" is recommended for girls in middle school, and point in fact, that's exactly when this teen read it, just a few years ago. Yet as I look back on those two months in English class, it occurs to me that perhaps the fault in this book lies there. It's written as though for young readers - simplistic, short, and pale - and yet the comments about the quality and importance are all things that even the smartest and brightest pre-teen readers would be entirely unable to appreciate and enjoy.

To me, these stories symbolized what was wrong with literature. This book is entirely disorganized, chaotic, and very difficult to follow. The writing style is stupid, simplistic, and simply confusing, providing no room for thought or even interesting analysis. Looking back on it, the stories probably have another level of meaning aside from the story themselves - symbolism or even just hard, cold facts. Yet this book, directed towards this specific age group (Amazon itself recommends this for pre-teens), simply fails to impress. The writing is the kind some might love and others hate. Most young readers will most likely hate it, as I did, failing to see how this could possibly mean something more.

I can see myself returning to this collection of random stories and appreciating it, understanding its literary worth and simplistic importance. And yet it is still a children's book masquerading as an adult book, or an adult book masquerading as a teen book. Either way, it fails to capture either audience.

I'd say absolutely NOT recommended to middle-school age kids, and for anyone else, do some extensive research before reading this loosely written, confusing collection of vignettes.

this is by far one of the worst books i have ever encountered. Cisneros is a horrible author who knows nothing about writing a well organized book that actually makes sense. I wouldn't reccommend it to my worst enemy

The House on Mango Street / 0-679-73477-5

The House on Mango Street is a touching collection of short vignettes centering around the author's childhood and childhood home. The vignettes take a long, hard look at the lives of these children and young women who find themselves lost in a poverty and a culture which makes them feel reduced in value. Basic services such as a home, clothing, and education are provided, but without love - the children feel intensely aware of the fact that they are unwanted, the designated dregs of society (the white children tell them that they are leaving the neighborhood because too many of the 'wrong types' of people are moving in.

The girl children are also introduced - sometimes violently - to the painful realities of womanhood in a poverty stricken culture. One girl is denied by her much-older husband any right to leave the house, ever, because he worries that she might find a life, interests, even love outside of him. She wastes away slowly, trapped in a life of unhappiness and monotony. Other girls are coerced into sexual activity by their peers, and the parents turn a blind eye, figuring that it has always been this way and always will.

The author's despair is evident in every word. She wants to escape, to get away, but she also feels guilty for hating so intensely her community and culture. She cannot separate the good parts of her culture from the bad parts which are less a matter of culture and more a matter of poverty, lack of education, and disease. In the end, she vows to leave, but to never forget - and, perhaps, someday to return, and help.

i had to read this in school and it was THE WORST book i've ever read in my life. i HATED IT!!! it was confusing, pointless, and a lame sob story that didn't gain my sympathy in any way. at the end of the book (if i can even call this piece of worthless garbage a book), esperanza gets raped.

....wait, what?
and then that's it. they don't even mention it again. i think sandra cisneros was on crack when she wrote this. it has no direction, no theme, bizarre characters, and stupid, stupid, poop-worthy vignettes that are so random and out there that i think esperanza's on crack too. =D

I like this book of vignettes about the Latino experience. My problem was that I didn't love it. Perhaps because my expectations were so high after reading some great reviews, seeing it on some lists of the best books in the last 25 years and several recommendations from friends.

Cisneros certainly has great command of language and several of the vignettes are deeply engaging. My main issue with the book is that I kept wanting more. I wanted more depth about Esperanza and the other characters Cisneros introduces us throughout the vignettes.

After I finished the book, I felt like I do after having a meal at a restaurant where the appetizer is delicious and then you get just an average entree. Cisneros whets your appetite but leaves you disappointment with your whole experience.

Like many of my fellow reviewers, I was required to read this book for high school English. At first glance, the novel seemed promising, as shown by the glowing reviews from various newspapers and writers.

Then I started to read it.

By the end, several issues stood out: the grammar and the similes.

I understand that Cisneros intentionally broke away from traditional form, but this book needs an editing job. For example, "...the tortilla star, the one that appears early just in time to rise and catch the hind legs hide behind the sink..." The last part made me go, "Huh? Hind legs hide?" There were also some issues with run-on sentences.

The similes also bothered me. Some of the time, they were good: "...and sings all the homesick songs about her country in a voice that sounds like a seagull." I know what a seagull sounds like, so I could identify and imagine what her voice sounded like. Then, it gets ugly. "The Monkey Garden" was full of 'em. "Sunflowers big as flowers on Mars?" And the worst: "...dusty hollyhocks thick and perfumy like the blue-blond hair of the dead." That was a head scratcher. Blue-blond hair? What? Is this an allusion to some great work of literature that I should have read?

Also, there were way too many characters. By introducing character after character, Cisneros was able to paint a picture of Esperanza's world, but by the end of the novel I knew little of Esperanza herself; I was unable to care about any of the characters.

One other thing: the sexual assault scene. As I understand, this is a traumatic experience. One chapter, hardly two pages was devoted to it, no mention was made in the rest of the novel. Shouldn't Esperanza have been affected by it? At least several scenes alluding to its effects should have been included.

I was unable to identify with the world Cisneros created, as a result, I cared little for the characters and what happened to them. In addition, until I read the back of the book, I thought that the novel took place in NYC - how mistaken I was!

Overall, I was disappointed by the novel. If you like vignette fiction, I recommend "Sold" by Patricia Mccormick or "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson. The latter may not exactly qualify as vignette, but it's good.

Sandra Cisneros nació en los Estados Unidos en 1954, en la ciudad de Chicago, siendo la única hija, entre seis hermanos varones y padres mexicanos, con los cuales viajó a México en diferentes oportunidades, desde su barrio puertorriqueño en Chicago. La casa en la calle Mango (The house on Mango street) refleja esa experiencia de alguien nacido en Norteamérica, pero con una identidad hispana, y es quizás parte de la autora misma, en sus años infantiles, entre una cultura que la oprimía olvidando sus derechos.

Graduada con una licenciatura en inglés de la universidad de Loyola y una maestría de la universidad de Iowa, Cisneros ha escrito otros libros como My Wicked Wicked Ways y Loose Woman, entre otros. La escritora es parte de un grupo de escritoras de origen chicanas y latinas que se hicieron conocidas a partir de las décadas del ochenta y noventa del siglo pasado. Estructuralmente vemos una denuncia a la vida de la mujer chicana dependiente de las decisiones patriarcales que la rodean, pero sin una proposición directa para resolverlas.

The house of Mango street es un libro que consiste de cuarenta y cuatro historietas descritas por una jovencita de solo doce años llamada Esperanza Cordero, quien en cada capítulo nos narra la infancia que tuvo mientras vivía en la calle Mango, sus sueños y esperanzas, rodeada de una barreada latina en la ciudad de Chicago, pero en un lugar que nos recuerda un área apartada, no por la distancia sino por su olvido en el spectrum político, relegada a la pobreza y la segregación racial. Sus sentimientos, falta de privacidad, hastío por lo que la rodea, y los anhelos propios de un humano que quiere ser feliz, la hacen crear el idílico momento en que un dia pueda tener su propia casa que realmente le pueda llamar hogar.

Ello me hace recordar en lo personal, vivencias del pasado, y cómo, en un país donde el consumo es parte de casi una identidad, muchos no consideran la importancia de un hogar donde crecemos, donde soñamos, donde podemos siempre retornar a la infancia aunque ya tengamos canas, y sin embargo se lanzan a la deriva del rastreo material y el elogio de vivir al dia con cuanta pacotilla se les anuncie obviando la realidad de que no vivimos mil años en este mundo, y lo que sembremos en el recuerdo, la experiencia y el futuro es todo lo que podemos hacer para llamarnos humanos.

A medida que Esperanza va creciendo y madurando va escribiendo sobre su vida y sus anhelos de salirse del mundo que la rodea, del barrio que emocionalmente la asfixia, incluyendo las historias de sus vecinos y de sus amiguitas chicanas Lucy y Rachel, su hermanita Nenny, y las aventuras que transcurrieron entre ella en ese pequeño mundo. En ese mundo que cuando somos pequeños nos parece inmenso y único, pero que mientras maduramos aprendemos a desafiarlo.

En ese desafío Esperanza va creciendo físicamente convirtiéndose en una señorita que gusta ser admirada y vista por muchachos que la ven bailar, conociendo a su nueva amiga Sally rodeada de varones que incluso la ayudan escapar de su casa y del supuestamente abusivo padre, pero abierta a tempranas relaciones sexuales.

Sally la empuja a relacionarse con un jovencito, contra la voluntad de la misma Esperanza, y es ahí donde finalmente es violada, abusada sexualmente, y más tarde ya crecidita, cuando encuentra su primer trabajo, un hombre de procedencia asiática, mayor en edad, la obliga a que le bese, mostrando la escritora el mundo masculino en el que Esperanza esta atrapada. Estas son experiencias bien traumáticas para la muchacha quien analiza las mismas situaciones a que las mujeres de su barrio se ven expuestas y es por esto que no cesa en sus adentros por ver el dichoso dia que pueda largarse de la calle Mango y rehacer su vida decorosamente, sin obviar que era necesario hacer algo.

En este intercambio entre Sally y Marín como personajes es posible que la escritora nos haya querido introducir el amor típicamente descrito aunque en realidad lo que vemos es un contraste entre ese amor familiar muchas veces perdido entre conceptos e idéas erradas y el amor romántico que puede ser pasajero y que con el cursar del tiempo puede perder pasión y hasta convertirse en odios y desavenencias, aunque ella no nos deja ver odio en sí misma, todo lo contrario, la sensación del marinero perdido en alta mar pidiendo el auxilio que nunca llega.

Igualmente vemos como el personaje principal va cambiando su humor periódicamente, revelándonos su lugar en ese mundo que la rodea, por ejemplo cuando esta de buen humor ella lo refiere como "our good day", cuando por el contrario el temor la absorbe o se siente violada es "red clowns" y así es posible ver también el crecimiento y madurez que va transformando al personaje desde su infancia a la pubertad y sus más intrínsecas esperanzas de libertad y justicia.

Esperanza muestra ser una persona que confía fácilmente en otros hasta el punto de poder ser manipulada. En este mundo de violencia Esperanza se acomoda de tal manera que lo trasmite como algo ordinario y normal, desde el punto de vista social dentro del barrio. El hecho de haber sido violada y no denunciarlos ya nos dice lo vulnerable de su situación sin más poder que el de tratar de abrirse un camino de escape. Ella nos revela su indignación sin incluso querer atropellar a su propia cultura, mostrando hasta cierto punto el sentido de lealtad de la escritora, su búsqueda de justicia pero no de revancha ni hostigación.

Hay simbolismos en el libro como cuando Esperanza se compara con los demás personajes mientras van madurando y a ella le parece que permanece inmóvil, o usando personificaciones como cuando se compara con los árboles, viéndolos como humanos ellos mismos, identificándose pues con ellos: "Four skinny trees. They are the only ones who understand me. I am the only one who understands them. Four skinny trees with skinny necks and pointy elbows like mine. They grow up and they grow down and grab the earth between their hairy toes and bite the sky with violent teeth and never quit their anger" (p. 74).

Sandra Cisneros ha llamado a este libro una compilación de poemas vagos. Escrito en ese estilo, no son en realidad poemas sino "vignettes", historias incompletas con algún ritmo que los acerca a la poesía. El transcurso de la historia del personaje principal parece a veces ser superficial, solo narrando, sin tomar en consideración ninguno de los acontecimientos de manera profunda y detallada, sino como llevándolos de la mano desde un balcón a la distancia. La escritora nos introduce a otros personajes, algunos incluso solo momentáneamente sin volver a aparecer, pero todos sufriendo la estrechez del barrio en que viven y dentro de su papel en la historia misma.

Ella nos trasmite cuantos conflictos se van viviendo pero a su vez no nos ofrece una solución para resolverlos, sencillamente van a la deriva, al destino de cada cual, a entretenernos mientras denuncia lo que ella, el personaje, vivió y nos quiere trasmitir, quizás buscando que seamos nosotros quien visitemos el barrio y lo arreglemos como podamos, puede que rehaciéndolo.

A modo de conclusión pienso que es importante, no obstante, tener una vívida idea de lo que representa esta obra, la primera que le abre camino a la escritora y que quizás sea un testimonio escondido en el tiempo. Escrito por alguien que vivió igualmente en ese pequeño mundo donde todos giraban alrededor del núcleo patriarcal, los conflictos que son evidentes en nuestra sociedad, las divisiones culturales, las lealtades de un grupo contra otro, la vulnerabilidad, el sentimiento de olvido y alineación social, y el susto mortal de la pobreza que a veces bordea la miseria, pero sobre todo la miseria espiritual, la violencia y vergüenza que nos aleja del mundo al que debíamos pertenecer siendo humanos, y la vilificación de nuestra naturaleza hasta el punto de la degeneración.

Alejandro Roque

This book delivers unique perspective of everyday events in the Hispanic barrio of Chicago where protagonist Esperanza lives -- of course on Mango Street.

Written in a meter similar to a pre-teen's or early teenager's diary entries, the book covers numerous topics about the life on the street where her parents finally have a house without neighbors, where she and her siblings do not need to share the yard, where the landlord does not beat the ceiling to request the noise be lessened, and where the life can be as silent as snow.

Certain passages lightly touch upon adult misapprorpriation of youthful trust -- where Esperanza is molested, although not in the worst way, by those who would otherwise not be suspected of such lewd behavior. You cry.

At other times, Esperanza and her friends act like elementary school children, make silly remarks and behave in silly ways, which make the adults about her laugh at her. You too must smile or laugh.

Ultimately, you must succumb to the fact that this young adult literature delivers a tale which may teach other young girls perhaps to be more observant of their own behavior so that they are not stepped on like Esperanza was when she mistakenly entrusted too many strangers too many times for too little reason.

The education of youth abounds within the confines of this extremely short book. Appearing to be a light and airy read, this novel touches some very heavy and introspective issues which we often think children cannot discern. But, they do. And, that is for whom this novel is meant to be written.

But, if an adult seeks to read it, please do. It will not take more than a few hours of your adult life. But, remember: This is not great literature written for the masses. Instead, it is a book written for a very much-in-demand young audience about an issue of their coming of age.

The tone of this book and the reviews of many readers seem to suggest that many readers may not really have noticed a lot of details that undermine Ms Cisneros portrayal of downtrodden immigrant folks in the badlands of American urban rot. Are Desesperanza and her family really so hard done by? Both parents still live at home. and in a home that they own, not a rented hovel. The three kids go to private school. A faith-based school at that. The kids can get the money together when they want to buy a bike, and the family can afford to buy three full new outfits of clothes for a cousin's first communion. I'm welling up, here, at the thought of all this heartbreakingly cruel oppression.

I'm certainly not playing down the horror at the end of the book, but is that really related to the rest of the self-celebratory Mango Street vignettes?

This book literally put me to sleep. If i could rate it any lower i would have because i HATED it. The school system is the worst for making us read it. By making us read it they are in essence making us dumber.

What a great book. I really enjoyed reading it. A little bit bouncy, and I was sad when I was done reading . . . wish I could read more about this young ladies story. But, very descriptive writing which was pleasurable to read.

Oh dear. Another one of those books with lofty, if not noble, ideas, but poor in execution. Honestly, if a 10th grader gave this in as their English Literature project at the end of the year, the teacher would probably only give them a 'B'. The only way I could get through this one was by leaving it in the bathroom as the only reading material for when I was sat on the bog. Go and buy a decent novel instead.

Unfortunately you'll have to read this book either in high school or some women's ed class. This book however is painfully boring. It's full of very short stories that have no character or plot development. It's just vignettes, vignettes are boring. Cisneros is overrated.

House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is a combination of stories that seeks to tell the story of a young Latino girl growing up in a barrio in the United States. Like many immigrant children living in the States we share similar experiences, I as a young man can relate to. Some suggests that this story is a vignette, however, I believe it is more. The house on Mango St. is a brilliant start for any immigrant to strive for an overall goal, to live the American dream.
After all, our parents immigrated for a better living for their children. The house is used in the story to signify a mark in which Esperanza begins her life but immediately knows that is not where she wants to be. "In the meantime...move a little farther north from Mango street, ..every time people like us keep moving in."(pg.13) Shows exactly how foolish people behave when someone of color moves into a neighborhood. Lines like these show the reality of racism that still exist today in our own neighborhoods, the House On Mange Street proves that with her writing.
As a child raised in a barrio in the city of Compton, I too was embarrassed of my home. At times I felt like Esperanza "sad red house...I belong but not belong to."(pg.110) Stories like these made this book worth reading because I remember clearly "Maria" making fun of my home. "The Haunted House." My home looked spooky, but how could I explain that the other house we rented was ten times better but could not afford anymore.
Situations like these throughout the story and in my life make you want more. House On Mango Street makes the reader want more of what she writes and more of life for us immigrants. That is why Esperanza wants to get away from Mango St. The House On Mango Street is the beginning, the goal is the American dream, this book is a dream come true for Cisneros.

The "House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros deals with the many stories that illustrate her life has changed year after year. The book discusses in detail the experiences she went through when living on Mango Street. An important theme in the book is the changes that Esperanza encountered from childhood to adulthood. Esperanza's body changes affected her life dramatically and had a certain way of describing it.
In the book, Esperanza illustrates how she changed the moment she placed the high heels in her feet. Esperanza's family did not allow young girls to wear high heels because of what the shoes implied. As Esperanza noted in the book, as soon as she wore the high heels, she got hit on, "You are a pretty girl" (41). Esperanza found out the high heels made her look grow up and there for a bum told her "If I give you a dollar will you kiss me?" (41). Hips in the book play an important part in categorizing Esperanza as a woman. As Esperanza states, hips are not for young girls but for women, "They're good for holding a baby when you're cooking" (49). The hips can determine how a woman should walk, "You gotta know how to walk with hips, practice you know-like if half of you wanted to go one way and the other half the other" (50). Young girls had a funny way to express what hips are made for and what they are there to do. Not realizing it, Esperanza is leaving behind her childhood and becoming a woman with the life changes that she is encountering.
House on Mango Street is a good book to read to understand how a young girl thinks and sees things. Esperanza has a distinctive way to describe her situations, which has leaded her to the life she is in. She expresses how her life is and is turning to be. Changes while growing up has affected Esperanza as well as her friends of her age.

I read this in college when my best friend gave it to me and I still have never read anything quite like it. I woudld recommend this to young adults and adults alike.

When I read House on Mango Street for the first time, I found boring and difficult to read. I just saw the story of a young girl stuck in a house that she doesn't want, yearning for a house of her own.
However, when I read the book a second time, I relized that all these small chapters which appear to be about completely different subjects are all alike in one way- they show Esperenza growing up. Each chapter, while focusing on one character on Mango Street, also releases a little bit of information about Esperenza (how she feels, what she wants, how she reacts), until by the last chapter, you feel like she could be your best friend, you know her so well.
After I really read the House of Mango Street, I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you read this book and it appears confusing just look at it this way: This isn't just writing from the mind, it's writing from the heart.

I was required to read this book for school. As I read, I thought it was a bit cofusing. Each chapter reflects the thoughts of Esperanza, a Hispanic girl who has moved around more times than she can remember. The latest house is one on Mango Street, a neighborhood where women are treated terribly and people are constantly moving out. No one really wants to belong to Mango Street, it's more of a place you stumble across then one you choose. This is the story of a girl who learned to grow up in a place she didn't want as part of her history. The adolescent years are already tough, and Esperanza had to deal with all this and a house she didn't want. I think we all have our own Mango Streets, a part of our history that we're not proud of and want to leave behind-but "those who leave Mango must always come back- to give hope to those who cannot leave". This story is told in vignettes, and reflects what Esperanza was thinking at the time. It is written similarly to my old journals, which madde it easy to relate to. It also made the book something for me to defend-while my peers were complaining about how confusing a story without a plot line is, I was rather enjoying seeing Esperanza's world from this perspective. I must admit, it was a bit confusing at first, but once the book was finished all the seemingly random pieces of information began to make sense. This book is a lot like a puzzle, or an impressionist painting-standing close enough to examine one stroke, and only analyzing this one stroke-really does not offer a comprehensive view of the painting. When you step back, and see all the strokes come together, you xpieriece something beautiful. That's what this book is like- once you see all the little stories come together, you can step back and see something beautiful.

I was required to read this book for school. As I read, I thought it was a bit cofusing. Each chapter reflects the thoughts of Esperanza, a Hispanic girl who has moved around more times than she can remember. The latest house is one on Mango Street, a neighborhood where women are treated terribly and people are constantly moving out. No one really wants to belong to Mango Street, it's more of a place you stumble across then one you choose. This is the story of a girl who learned to grow up in a place she didn't want as part of her history. The adolescent years are already tough, and Esperanza had to deal with all this and a house she didn't want. This story is told in vignettes, and reflects what Esperanza was thinking at the time. It is written similarly to my old journals, which madde it easy to relate to. It also made the book something for me to defend-while my peers were complaining about how confusing a story without a plot line is, I was rather enjoying seeing Esperanza's world from this perspective. I must admit, it was a bit confusing at first, but once the book was finished all the seemingly random pieces of information began to make sense. This book is a lot like a puzzle, or an impressionist painting-standing close enough to examine one stroke, and only analyzing this one stroke-really does not offer a comprehensive view of the painting. When you step back, and see all the strokes come together, you xpieriece something beautiful. That's what this book is like- once you see all the little stories come together, you can step back and see something beautiful.

The House on Mango Street tells the story of Esperanza, a Mexican-American girl growing up in a "ghetto" area of Chicago.

But instead of being your typical novel, this book is a collection of vignettes, each focusing on one specific character or event, with few of them mentioned in future chapters. And instead of being in a typical prose style, the book is more of a combination of standard writing and poetry together.

With the way the book is written, we are allowed a very intimate contact with Esperanza's mind. Sandra Cisneros blends that with a skillful use of metaphors to create a very detailed and personal world.

But that's pretty much what I like about it.

On the other hand though, I was very disappointed with who was telling the story - Esperanza. Despite the writing, I didn't really care for her that much.

Even worse was the Esperanza got very whiny towards the end of the book. For some reason I can't fathom, she simply decides to hate her house, insisting that it isn't her home. But even before that, Esperanza continually self-pities herself for a variety of things, falling into a boring humdrum of angsty teenage melorama. And then we have the (vaguely described) rape scene.

I didn't find the other characters very rememberable, either. Most of them just them were one shot characters who wouldn't affect the story at all if they were removed.

In conclusion, I think this is a good book to read, but not really that great as everyone else says it is. (It's a good thing that it's short.)

This book is most overrated. Yes it is a great remark on culture and growing up Latino, but ignorance of simple writing styles and grammar is no excuse. Not to mention that the book is not even remotely interesting. The main character is confusing, rambles on, and Cisneros always tries to draw pity for her. This is the worst book I have ever read.

I first encountered this book while scoring tests for an educational testing company... the first chapter was used as a prompt for a reading test. The kids saw the author's Hispanic name and jumped to the obvious conclusions... that the family is desperately poor and oppressed (and also many kids concluded that the family lived in the Southwest or even in Mexico, whereas Mango Street is in fact a real street on the North Side of Chicago.)

This is in fact very much a structured novel, even though it is written in an episodic and impressionistic manner: it is a classic coming of age story. The family is certainly not wealthy, and they go through crises like any other family --- but this is actually a fairly happy and average American family.

I first encountered this book while scoring tests for an educational testing company... the first chapter was used as a prompt for a reading test. The kids saw the author's Hispanic name and jumped to the obvious conclusions... that the family is desperately poor and oppressed (and also many kids concluded that the family lived in the Southwest or even in Mexico, whereas Mango Street is in fact a real street on the North Side of Chicago.)

This is in fact very much a structured novel, even though it is written in an episodic and impressionistic manner: it is a classic coming of age story. The family is certainly not wealthy, and they go through crises like any other family --- but this is actually a fairly happy and average American family.

After reading the positive reviews on this book, I was disappointed. I found the book boring and a waste of my time.

I had to read this in my English Composition class and I thought it was very good and interesting. The characteres and story are both well-told. Cisneros is a good writer and she doesn't bore the reader to tears like cough cough John Steinbeck cough. This was the first book by Cisneros that I read and I am interested in her other works. Hopefully they will be as good as hers.

Wow!

Sandra Cisneros, by writing THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET, has done an enormous favor to Language Arts teachers like me; she has created a doorway into the poetic mind. Many of my eighth-grade students come into my class fearing, dreading, or being intimidated by "Poetry." Mention the word and heart rates increase, muscles stiffen, and minds shut down.

I use a variety of sources to explore Poetry (something we all use in our daily speech -- and I don't mean the things that rhyme, but rather the poetic nature of language). My resources include songs, children's books, short films, plays, short stories, novels, and (of course) poems. I describe poetry like this: "You know how a picture is worth a thousand words? Poetry is describing that same picture, just as well, using only one hundred words. Poetry is just condensed language, or the ability to communicate clearly using a visual or verbal shorthand."

That's where this amazing book comes in. Many of Cisneros's vignettes in THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET are exquisite examples of poetic language without the burden of "But that doesn't rhyme!" Elegant, perceptive and incredibly accessible to middle school-aged kids, this short book is maybe best described as Impressionistic -- individual pieces, brilliant as they may be, don't relate the whole story; step back and look at the whole thing, and before you you will see a picture of a girl as artistically painted as the work of Manet or Monet or Seurat.

For those who don't "get" this book, find the poetry in a single piece. Find the beauty, luxuriate in it, then move on when you're ready. Like a jigsaw puzzle, the pieces by themselves don't tell the whole story. Once you have most of them put together, the picture in the puzzle eventually starts to come to light.

The book, overall, says a lot about what shapes us as individuals: do we fall into the traps of life, or do we resist all that is comfortable and easy, and fight to find "a house all my own"? Holding onto one's dream is such an important part of being able to find who one is capable of being. The vignettes related in THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET are seemingly unimportant events in Ezperanza's time on Mango Street, but, put together in her mind, they stiffen the resolve of Ezperanza to leave the life on Mango Street that has so cruelly swallowed up the dreams of too many others (Rafaela, Marin, Sally). Esperanza has come to see the picture the puzzle has created and realizes that in order for her to find her voice, she needs to get away from the trap of the house on Mango Street.

Brava, Senora Cisneros!

House on Mango Street is a series of little vignettes about a family that has moved around so many times and now they finally have a house of their own, rent free. Esperanza and her family face many different problems in every little vignette. For example, how the houses look, or about laughter, or about her neighbors. Esperanza, the main character, always seems to face the conflict and resolve it.
The one thing that Esperanza longs for is a best friend so throughout the story she tries to find one that fits her and she makes many friends, but never that best friend. In the end of the book she learns valuable lesson that brings more meaning to the book. Esperanza discovers something new every chapter, like how she is not as pretty as one of her other friends.
Esperanza enjoys her life on Mango Street for the most part. Her friends there are good ones. However, she faces many hardships on Mango Street, like the dangers of walking down the street in downtown Chicago. This is an awesome book and a must read.

A beautiful, poignant collection of stories for any age and any culture. Our teacher read it to us first when we were 12, and I was struck by how Ms Cisneros' use of language put vivid images into my mind, even when they weren't directly associated with the thing they were describing. She is definitely a genius when it comes to writing prose with a poetic twist. Now I am older, I realize the deeper themes in the book. A beautiful story.

Using the audio story along with the printed text gave my 9th grade English class a lot of empathy that is not usually found when the story is read by someone other than the author. Cisneros brings a voice to this story that could not be equally imparted by anyone other than her. Even many of the boys were affected by the story.

I thought this book was extremely powerful and I am happy I discovered it so long after it was published. The book is full of similes which are a delight. The language on the other hand is also sparse and transports the reader to Mango Street. I am looking forward to reading Cisneros's other books.

Excerpt from the chapter: Gil's Furniture Bought & Sold

"But Nenny, I hear her asking one time how's this here and the man says, This, this is a music box, and I turn around quick thinking he means a pretty box with flowers painted on it, with a ballerina inside. Only there's nothing like that where this old man is pointing, just a wood box that's old and got a big brass record in it with holes. Then he starts it up and all sorts of things start happening. It's like all of a sudden he let go a million moths all over the dusty furniture and swan-neck shadows and in our bones. It's like drops of water. Or like marimbas only with a funny little plucked sound to it like if you were running your fingers across the teeth of a metal comb."

I work at a local high school in an english class and the students were reading The House on Mango Street. When I have my own copy, I can read ahead so I will be able to help the students understand what is going on in the book. I can underline where I could not if I was using the schools book.

I was glad you could get this book for me. I have ordered at other times books they were reading.

Often, a literary masterpiece is one in which the author steps outside the box. Usually, the author gets praised for being different. "The House on Mango Street" is different indeed - so different that the author decided to abandon all the rules of the English language, by omitting quotations, commas and often words like "is" and "of" when they were absolutely necessary. I am not a fan of the book, however, it only took two hours for me to read it, so I recommend that the consumer buys a used version so that if you are disappointed, you would not have spent too much.

I absolutely loved reading The House on
Mango Street. I truly related to Esparanza.
I loved the realism of the neighborhood--I felt
like I was there pushing aside the trees for
Esparanza as she walked along the sidewalk.
I loved the elements of the fantastical--The
women who sit by the windows, life just passing
them by. The House on Mango Street is a literary
classic that ALL WOMEN should pass onto their
daughters. I'm planning on buying extra copies
in the future, so that my friends and I can pass
this gem-of-a-story down to our daughters and learn
about people from different cultures. This book
is a must-read! I absolutely loved reading this book!

I absolutely loved reading The House on
Mango Street. I truly related to Esparanza.
I loved the realism of the neighborhood--I felt
like I was there pushing aside the trees for
Esparanza as she walked along the sidewalk.
I loved the elements of the fantastical--The
women who sit by the windows, life just passing
them by. The House on Mango Street is a literary
classic that ALL WOMEN should pass onto their
daughters. I'm planning on buying extra copies
in the future, so that my friends and I can pass
this gem-of-a-story down to our daughters and learn
about people from different cultures. This book
is a must-read and though I did not enjoy Cisneros'
other works, I absolutely loved reading this book!

After sitting through endless teacher trainings where this book is lauded, I decided to read it. What's the big deal? For a middle schooler, it's pretty good writing, but a great piece of literature hardly.

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is a beautifully written masterpeice. It is a great story about a young girl in a Latino neighborhood who goes through embarrasing, funny, and scary times. It's not sad, but not happy, it leaves you hanging on a limb. I recommend it to anyone who doesn't care if a few things aren't gramatically correct, and will wonder and reach for the "why?".

After sitting through endless teacher trainings where this book is lauded, I decided to read it. What's the big deal? For a middle schooler, it's pretty good writing, but a great piece of literature hardly.

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is a beautifully written masterpeice. It is a great story about a young girl in a Latino neighborhood who goes through embarrasing, funny, and scary times. It's not sad, but not happy, it leaves you hanging on a limb. I recommend it to anyone who doesn't care if a few things aren't gramatically correct, and will wonder and reach for the "why?".

I hated this book. It was a required read for my son and when he couldn't get into it, I picked it up to find out why. I read it because I wanted to try to get him interested. It was nothing but a collection of dull incidents that happened in the dull life of a dull person. I didn't see it as a story, novel or anything else. She tries to direct sympathy toward the character but nothing tragic or eventful happened to her to draw sympathy. Just another poor kid in an American ghetto. AND....not even the kind of poor people suffer in other countries where there is no public handout. For the life of me, I don't understand why any school would list this dull diary style book of nothing important as a required read. Sorry but don't waste your time.

Follow a young girl through her youth in a nearly endless series of short vignettes. She encounters all sorts of troubles and mishaps, but for the most part, the book describes a strange childhood in horribly exaggerated detail. Some say it's very deep, which it undoubtedly is, iff the reader has the courage to read between the lines (in an unfortunate addition to the already astoundingly boring printed text), and iff the reader indeed cares about the girl and what she thinks at all (I did not). A few of the vignettes are entertaining; however, for the most part, they are very difficult to get through despite their brevity.
FYI: "iff" is a math term meaning "if and only if".

As a genre, the vignette is little known and caught in that no-man's (but perhaps every-woman's) land between poetry and prose. They are an acquired taste, then, and most likely to satisfy those who are predisposed to poetry. Why? Because they are rich in figurative language, and Sandra Cisneros is quite adept at personification, simile, metaphor, and imagery. Oh. And repetition, too. Gertrude Stein would be proud of her on that count.

If you're expecting a novel... don't. It's episodic in nature, but most of the vignettes DO share a common character in Esperanza, a proud and sensitive Mexican-American girl growing up in Chicago. We meet her as a little girl embarrassed by the house she lives in, watch her grow up, cheer as she tries to make something of herself and prove herself strong in a race that "likes its women weak."

The strongest (and longest) vignette comes near the end -- "The Monkey Garden" (which echoes the Biblical Garden of Eden in its unique ways). Still, there's no denying that many of these short, poetic gems are worthy, together forming a garden of delights. Yes, it may appeal more to female readers than male, but the common themes of growing up, becoming independent, being a strong woman, and daring to dream are of interest to any reader.

If you've read novels, short stories, poetry, non-fiction, and plays -- but never vignettes -- Cisneros is about as good an introduction as you can get...

An Okay book
I don't think I've ever read a book that has 109 chapters, with each chapter on about 1 page everytime you turn the page. Its hard to understand why Sandra would even put 109 chapters in the book. The confusing thing is, that every single chapter in this novel is about something different, which makes the readers want to read more of it. I wouldn't be surprised if most people just put the book down after getting to about chapter 35. I know I got tired of reading a new chapter everytime I turned the page. I wanted to know more about that chapter, and I couldn't because when the turned the page, it was about something completely different. The House on Mango Street jumped around WAY to much, and thats why I gave it a 3. It was okay, but not great like other novels I read. Other people might have a different opinion about this novel, but my opinion is Sandra shouldn't of put 109 chapters, each on something different, into her novel. 109 chapters, just makes the novel more confusing then it should be in the first place. If I was Sandra when she wrote this novel, I would definitely add more to each chapter to make less chapters, and I wouldn't make each chapter about something new, because it just makes the novel less attractive to other readers.

Sure, we all know of pulp novels (some of us even write them), but true working-class literature is still all too rare. To be a working-class writer writing about working-class characters seems anathema to the publishing industry. Some suggest that this is due to the fact that editors and publishers are not likely to be working-class themselves, and so have little appreciation of characters whose lives hold little monetary value except their labor and earn wages without ever reaping the financial profits from that labor.

Another reason may be that Americans hold a vision of middle or upper class life as our stereotypical "American Dream." Who dreams of working at McDonald's? Some do, no doubt, but no one's holding their dreams up to the light. Even among the working-class literature that's available and accepted by mainstream audiences, Sandra Cisnero's "House on Mango Street" stands out. One reason is that it's told not from a worker's perspective, but by a child of first-generation immigrant workers.

Esperanza generally remains childlike until the end of this pseudo-memoir, when the adult narrator is now a homeowner reflecting on how her childhood Mango Street home formed much of her identity. The tale is told in straightforward, simple anecdotes in which the narrator doesn't possess the sense of irony which the author demonstrates by her choice of scenes, plot, and characters. Esperanza doesn't have the vocabulary to directly describe how class and race affect her, so she relies on simple imagery of everyday events to relate such things. She describes herself as a "red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor," an image that symbolizes her external circumstances holding her back from flying. She demonstrates some awareness of the class/race disconnect in an encounter with a neighbor who says she has to move because "the neighborhood is getting bad," ignoring the fact that she's just insulted Esperanza. Another astute observation flowers when Esperanza notes how she is afraid in neighborhoods of other colors, just as strangers are afraid in her Latino neighborhood.

We also see other images of working-class Latino culture that tend to be portrayed more stereotypically than here: car thefts, full families subletting their basements to other full families, reliance on the Catholic Church, etc. However, none of the outsider judgment which could limit these stories to superficial stereotype is present. "House on Mango Street" is told from the perspective of an "insider," which allows Cisneros to round out her characters emotionally, e.g., her car thief takes the young girls for a ride around the neighborhood and is kind to them; the neighbors in their basement have dreams, steady work, and self-respect; a Baptism party in the Church demonstrates a rhythmic, percussive Latino culture, including dancing, delicious food, and family closeness.

Esperanza deals with some of the internal shame of being poor in a rich country that is reflected in other classics of working class literature; she relates a conversation with her mother, who laments that her life might have been more. "Shame is a bad thing, you know. It keeps you down. You know why I quit school? Because I didn't have nice clothes. No clothes, but I had brains." Her mother's truth is undeniable; schoolchildren can be vicious, especially regarding appearance. Although Esperanza's Catholic school mitigates this with its uniforms. Between the uniforms and the academics, Esperanza's parents rely on the Catholic school to help their children turn out well.

Esperanza is determined to get out and own her own house, and she does. She works, goes to school, and becomes a writer, achieving both the psychic income from self-valued work AND monetary success. Getting out. Moving up to the middle class. Such a combination is rare in working-class life, but idealized in working-class literature.

"House on Mango Street" is gorgeously written; the language is so sharp it cuts through all the class politics and grounds the reader within the story. Cisneros does a masterful job of taking us for the ride as Esperanza grows up. This is destined to be a modern classic and a must-read for anyone in search of literature that reflects a life of struggle toward that elusive "American Dream."

Houise on Mango street was a phenomenal book, and I would recomend it to girls of all ages, because it really represents what women had to go through at that time period.
House on Mango street was written by Sandra Cisneros. It's about a young Mexican-American girl, who has limited options (on account of being female, and becoming of age) in her life-time. This book is made up of well-crafted vignettes, which say and mean way more than what's just on the surface.
I highly recomend this intelligent and descriptive book to all of my fellow ladies out there.

The House on Mango Street told the tale of a young Latin girl, Esperanza, growing up in what was like the ghetto of Chicago. Her family was not rich and they did not have much except warm hearts and big dreams. Throughout the story, Esperanza faced many things and the story was ultimately about her growing up and trying to accept her maturity. Most of the time, I enjoyed the story--it was interesting and gave a perspective of life I'm not familiar with, while at the same time I could relate to what she was going through. It was a very unpredictable story which was another plus. I also liked that it wasn't too long-- if it had been dragged out longer it would have been boring. The only thing I didn't like was reading about the way that Esperanza handled some of her situations: it gave me an unsettled feeling, like "why would anybody do that?" Aside from that, this is a great story that I would recommend mostly to teenagers, girls in particular because you will easily relate.

The House on Mango Street is a story of Esperanza Cordero. Esperanza is sharing her life in a poetic form. She writes poems to describe her life on Mango Street. She is embarrassed to point and say, "That's my house." Her mama says, "It's for the time being," papa says, "its temporary." Esperanza shares her stories of love, friendship, and the trail of life. Esperanza's friend Sally gets into lots of trouble with boys and her papa doesn't tolerate this. Working at such a young age isn't very easy, but papa doesn't want Esperanza to go to public school, he believes you'll turn out bad. Living in the ghetto of Chicago can get difficult sometimes in ways that can just confuse you, like your friend getting married when she hasn't even reached eighth grade. Sandra Cisneros will share Esperanza's feelings and descriptions about neighbors and family great. Boys, where should we start? To Esperanza, they live in separate worlds, you can really only rely on your true friends. In the end, all these moments of feelings only equal one word, Life.

I think that Sandra Cisneros has a great way of connecting Esperanza's story to your own. Although you might live in a big fancy home that you love, getting whatever you want without having to work for it, you're story in a different way from everyone else's will weave into hers. The fine points of description in Sandra's writing make the story well worthy to try and understand.

I really enjoyed this book because every single second, there was another mystery of life to solve, even if you wouldn't find this book in the mystery section at the library.

*Gwendolyn Brooks finds Sandra Cisneros as a brilliant young writer today.

this books chapter titles were random as hell and so was the book. its so weird. there is no plot whatsoever. i hated it, don't buy it cuz it sucks major balls.

I teach a beginner writing course for ESL students preparing for college, and we use this book to help students develop that all-important voice. The stories are simple but full of feeling, and resonate deeply with my mostly Latino students. Yes, there are incomplete sentences and words that don't belong in academic writing, but I find my students understand the concept of personal vs. academic writing, and can enjoy the book on its own terms. In addition, it could easily form the basis of a reading course for students once they are beyond the very early stages of learning English.