The House on Mango Street

In this feminist coming of age story our protagonist, Esperanza, leads us through the physical and emotional developments of puberty and all its accompanying discontent while she tries to carve out her place in the world. Her voice is wonderfully forthright; the exhaustive musings of a teenager before she learns the need to censor herself.

The story is told in a series of short vignettes, and for such a tiny little novel it manages to pack an awful lot in to its few pages. Cisneros's beautiful writing borders on poetry and is both enchanting and brutal. My heart ached for Esperanza as she searched for her identity whilst having to deal with poverty, racism, sexism, and sexual abuse. I can't imagine that many authors would manage to successfully evoke such strong feelings and address such big issues in a book of this length.

I'm sorry to see that it's still banned in several places. This is an important story for adults and teens alike, and should be free to be read by all.