_The House On Mango Street_, Sandra Cisneros

I'm not really certain what to say about this book. I really enjoyed The House On Mango Street and think I would have a great time teaching it. Cisneros's language is often poetic (she is a poet) and always understandable.

Part of what I find appealing about this book has to do with its understandability. The book is great for many reading levels, but it doesn't skim on content to accomplish that goal. Students of all levels will be engaged and able to take home lessons from the story. I also like that the book looks appealing to students. What I mean is that the book is short, has many brief chapters, chapters begin just over half way down the page. Physically, the book is inviting, not intimidating.

One worry I have is that men are portrayed somewhat negatively in the book. Most of the men in the book are portrayed just as characters that come and go - Esperanza's family, Geraldo (?), neighborhood boys, friends' cousins, the shop keeper, etc.. But some men, even boys, in The House On Mango Street are abusive (even sexually so) - one of Esperanza's coworkers, the boys who assault her, a friend's father, a young friend's husband, a neighbor - or think poorly of women. While not all males are portrayed this way, several memorable ones are.

Overall, though, I try to look at this as a representation of the things a young girl notices. While it may seem harsh to show numerous bad men, sometimes that's how things are. While Esperanza is considerably too young for her older coworker to try to kiss (not that his trick would be O.K. if she were older), it's not uncommon even in the dominant culture here for men to ogle teenage girls and it's certainly not unheard of that one partner becomes overly protective/jealous of the other to the point that it becomes abuse. And the sexual assault of a young girl is something that may be good to discuss in the classroom.

I can see how some men may be turned off by the book's presentation of some male characters, but I don't think Cisneros set out to villify men.

There are many themes to explore in Cisneros's The House On Mango Street and I hope we get to talk about some more in class. I'm particularly interested in how others viewed Esperanza's desire to make a "better life" for herself away from Mango Street while recognizing that it will always be a part of her. (Is this assimilation, or is the the desire for more or "better" universal? What about when Esperanza says she wants to live like a man?)