The House On Mango Street

The House On Mango Street
YA/adult fiction
"At school they say my name funny as if the syllables were made
of tin and hurt the roof of your mouth. But in Spanish my name is
made out of a softer something, like silver, not quite as thick as my
sister's name--Magdalena--which is uglier than mine. Magdalena who at
least can come home and be Nenny. But I am always Esperenza."
This paragraph from Sandra Cisneros' The House On Mango Street,
a classic from 1984, really resonated with me and hooked me on the
book. For humans names are so much more than identifiers. So many
nuances from genderedness and ethnicity to flowing or clunky sounds
(not to mention the potential for peer cruelty and teasing some carry)
evoke emotions around them. Lots of adults seem to have forgotten
this. Reading that sentence, I knew that Cisneros would put into
words aspects of life that children feel deeply and adults often
conveniently forget.
The House On Mango Street captures the frustration and awareness
of powerlessness that many children feel. Not surprisingly, Esperenza
wants a new name. She also wants a house. Much of her life involved
frequent moves from apartment to apartment. Her parents kept
promising a real house. But the one they have finally managed to
acquire is too small and rundown.
"I knew then I had to have a house. A real house. One I would
point to. But this isn't it. For the time being, Mama says.
Temporary, says Papa. But I know how these things go."
The book is composed of succinct vignettes that convey the
innocence and precariousness, the joys and sorrows, of a childhood in
a low income ethnic neighborhood in a time when kids still played
outside, free of constant adult supervision. Three friends chip in to
buy a used bike to share. A new car being driven around the
neighborhood, giving gleeful children rides, become the object of a
police chase. Donated high heel shoes make girls feel beautiful until
they attract the wrong kind of attention. Preteens jumping rope
debate the meaning of woman hips.
You don't want to miss out on this evocative coming of age
story, as meaningful today as it was when it hit the bookstores
decades ago.
On a purrrsonal note, Wednesday I was doing a little studying in the
multicultural lounge. People were setting up for an activity--making
vision boards. I wasn't going to make one. I had to get to work on
time. But they had really cool pictures and quotes. So I made an
awesome one which I will put in the studio for inspiration. It was
such a refreshing opportunity to have an unexpected chance to be
creative. And I got to work on time. When I got home I called Adam
to wish him a happy birthday. My baby is 23. :-)
A great big shout out goes out to Jeff and his crew who keep the
multicultural center a great place to learn about diversity,
celebrate, study, and just chill.
jules hathaway


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