But just because her writing is easy to understand doesn't mean that it's boring or simplistic – pick up The House on Mango Street and you'll notice that each sentence is carefully crafted to evoke emotion, beauty, or even just the pleasure of sound. It's something that everyone should be able to enjoy, even those people who don't have much experience with reading literature because they're young or because they are busy working for a living. In other words, the way Cisneros sees it, literature isn't an exclusive club. In her introduction to the 25th anniversary edition of The House on Mango Street, Cisneros explains that 'she wants the writers she admires to respect her work, but she also wants people who don't usually read books to enjoy these stories too' (Introduction.19).

Impressive, huh? And guess what? The author did that on purpose. The writing is simplistic enough for younger readers to understand, while at the same time sophisticated enough to keep the interest of writers and literary scholars. Like we said, The House on Mango Street is being taught both to thirteen-year-olds and college students. First of all, you'll notice that it's not a difficult read. So, what's the big deal here? Why is everyone so infatuated with this book? Well, we have a couple of theories about that. Now in its 25th year of publication, The House on Mango Street has sold over 2 million copies and is required reading in many middle schools, high schools, and universities across the country.

Originally published in 1984, the novel enjoyed immediate critical acclaim, winning the Before Columbus Foundation's American Book Award in 1985. Mexican American author Sandra Cisneros's novella The House on Mango Street is the story of a Latina girl named Esperanza Cordero who grows up on the mean streets of an inner-city neighborhood.

The house on mango street book cover