The name of this book is The House on Mango Street, or La Casa en Mango Street in Spanish. It was written by Sandra Cisneros, and published in 1984. Despite being over 30 years old, this book holds up very well in modern day. The way Cisneros illustrates the setting and the characters is absolutely beautiful. I would definitely recommend reading this book.

      The House on Mango Street is a story about a Hispanic girl growing up in Chicago. The events of this story are experienced through the eyes of Esperanza Cordero. According to Sandra Cisneros, Esperanza is based off of several people, including herself, and all of their experiences. The same goes for the setting, Mango Street. Mango Street isn’t a real street in Chicago, but a street made up of its residents’ experiences.

      The House On Mango Street was way better than I’d initially expected it to be. I absolutely loved how it was written as a series of vignettes, as I feel as though it fit the prompt perfectly. It wouldn’t’ve been as emotionally charged if it were written like a traditional story, in my opinion. As a result of how well Cisneros builds the atmosphere of Mango Street, and my personal experiences, I could see myself there and imagine what it looked like, too. Cisneros manages to paint Mango Street in a way so that nearly everyone can and will feel as though they too have lived there at one point.

      In conclusion, The House on Mango Street is an amazing book. It’s atmosphere is conveyed masterfully through the series of vignettes that make up this book, and it’s done in a way that messes with the reader’s emotions in so many different ways. It makes you feel for the characters, and also feel as though you’re a part of their community. Cisneros really conveys the idea of Mango Street well, because I very much feel as though there was a period of my life where I lived there too. I would definitely say that you’re missing out if you don’t plan on reading this masterpiece.