The House on Mango Street is one of the most cherished novels of the last fiftyyears. Readers from all walks of life have fallen for the voice of EsperanzaCordero, growing up in Chicago and inventing for herself who and what she willbecome. “In English my name means hope,” she says.

“In Spanish it means toomany letters. It means sadness, it means waiting."Told in a series of vignettes—sometimes heart breaking, sometimesjoyous—Cisneros’s masterpiece is a classic story of childhood andself-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 worldthrough people and their voices, and it does so in language that is poetic anddirect. Acclaimed by critics, a staple in schools, translated into dozens oflanguages, this gorgeous coming-of-age novel is a celebration of the power oftelling one’s story and of being proud of where you come from.