The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

The House on Mango Street is one of the most cherished novels of the last fifty years. Readers from all walks of life have fallen for the voice of Esperanza Cordero, growing up in Chicago and inventing for herself who and what she will become. “In English my name means hope,” she says. “In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting."

Told in a series of vignettes—sometimes heart breaking, sometimes joyous—Cisneros’s masterpiece is a classic story of childhood and self-discovery. It is also one of the greatest neighbourhood novels of all time. Like Sinclair Lewis’ Main Street or Toni Morrison’s Sula, it makes a world through people and their voices, and it does so in language that is poetic and direct. Acclaimed by critics, a staple in schools, translated into dozens of languages, this gorgeous coming-of-age novel is a celebration of the power of telling one’s story and of being proud of where you come from.