Book Review: “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros

Forty years after its publication, it’s still as powerful and relevant as ever.

Esperanza Cordero has something to say, but for a while isn’t sure what it is.

So she begins by simply describing her world — the Chicago neighborhood to which she and her parents, brothers, and sister recently moved — and its people.

The result is a series of short scenes and portraits that, in their interconnectedness, tell a larger story of growth and self-discovery.

Esperanza was expecting something different when she arrived on Mango Street. Her old house had serious structural problems that the landlord refused to address. The family left in a rush, her parents promising a paradise. The house on Mango Street is anything but.

“It’s small and red,” says Esperanza, “with tight steps in front and windows so small you’d think they were holding their breath.” She was dreaming of a house with “real stairs,” “a basement,” and “a great big yard and grass growing without a fence.” She’s still dreaming of it as she writes.

It’s not that Mango Street isn’t without its own odd charm. There’s the garden where the monkey bares its teeth from its green cage. There’s the junk shop whose owner only…