AP Novel: The House on Mango Street
Author: Sandra Cisneros


Esperanza goes through the troubles of being in a large family going through a rough time in Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street. She faces life’s many troubles while trying to find who she is. Being Mexican is not always the easiest thing in a bad neighborhood, especially knowing what others think. From the many people she meets to the interesting things she learns, Esperanza goes through it all.

The characters in this book include a family of six moving from neighborhood to neighborhood and finally settling down on Mango Street.. It is not the house they always talked about living in, but it is their house, one of their own. Esperanza is close to her family, but is also secretly ashamed of them. She hates her name and how others may think of it. She learns that not everybody judges her and she learned how to make the best out of any situation.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know they are not the only one out there without a perfect life. This book can bring hope and help create the happy ending they deserve.

The idea of another book about large families and their troubles might not seem interesting, but Sandra Cisneros knows how to create a moving, yet attention grabbing story. I enjoyed The House on Mango Street. The main character, Esperanza, came to life and showed a new way to look at life.