By Sandra Cisneros. This is a sweet little book, consisting of vignettes of Cisneros' childhood growing up Latina in Chicago. As a Hispanic woman myself, I see bits and pieces of my own life in her stories. Her pages are full of innocent but touching observations, with an occasional piercing insight that stabs like a bayonet straight to your heart. She dreams of traveling far from Mango Street. One day I will pack my bags of books and papers. One day I will say goodbye to Mango. I am too strong for her to keep me here forever. One day I will go away. Friends and neighbors will say, What happened to that Esperanza? Where did she go with all those books and papers? Why did she march so far away? They will not know I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind. For the ones who cannot get out.
I haven't read this book in a few years, but I vaguely recall the main character being raped... Maybe I am mixing it up with another book, but if not I probably wouldn't describe it as a "sweet little" part of the book... I am sure I would dislike this book less if I were to read it again outside of school.
Well, no ... being raped certainly isn't "sweet". But there's so much more to her story. It would do her an injustice to focus on that.
