The House on Mango Street

Sandra Cisneros
9th grade reading

This book is about Esperanza, a Hispanic girl and her experience living in a house
on Mango Street. After moving from apartment to apartment, Esperanza’s family
finally was able to buy a house. It wasn’t what her mother had dreamed of and
had spoken to Esperanza about, but it was theirs. Esperanza narrates the book
and gives glimpses into the lives of her neighbors on Mango Street. It chronicles a
typical neighborhood with different types of neighbors with all kinds of quirks and
attitudes. You see Esperanza meet friends and say good-bye to them when they
leave, experience typical growing up milestones, and her hopes and dreams.

This story is written by a poet and short story writer and that is exactly what it
reads like. There are few chapters that seem cohesive. Each chapter reads like a
short story and not part of a novel. Each chapter is about a different person or
family that lived on Mango Street and the plot being how they each are
connected by location.

Words of concern:
None

Topics of Concern:
There is one chapter at the end that Esperanza is sexually assaulted, rape is
eluded to. No deep details given, just that she didn’t want “him” touching her like
that and her inward thoughts about what was happening.