The House on Mango Street

De: Sandra Cisneros

Narrado por: Sandra Cisneros

A TODAY SHOW #ReadWithJenna BOOK CLUB PICK

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A coming-of-age classic about a young girl growing up in Chicago • Acclaimed by critics, beloved by readers of all ages, taught in schools and universities alike, and translated around the world—from the winner of the 2025 Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Book Critics Circle.

“Cisneros draws on her rich [Latino] heritage...and seduces with precise, spare prose, creat[ing] unforgettable characters we want to lift off the page. She is not only a gifted writer, but an absolutely essential one.” —The New York Times Book Review

The House on Mango Street is one of the most cherished novels of the last fifty years. Readers from all walks of life have fallen for the voice of Esperanza Cordero, growing up in Chicago and inventing for herself who and what she will become. “In English my name means hope,” she says. “In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting."

Told in a series of vignettes—sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes joyous—Cisneros’s masterpiece is a classic story of childhood and self-discovery and one of the greatest neighborhood novels of all time. Like Sinclair Lewis’s Main Street or Toni Morrison’s Sula, it makes a world through people and their voices, and it does so in language that is poetic and direct. This gorgeous coming-of-age novel is a celebration of the power of telling one’s story and of being proud of where you're from.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A classic. . . . This little book has made a great space for itself on the shelf of American literature.” —Julia Alvarez

“Afortunado! Lucky! Lucky the generation who grew up with Esperanza and The House on Mango Street. And lucky future readers. This funny, beautiful book will always be with us.” —Maxine Hong Kingston

“Cisneros draws on her rich [Latino] heritage . . . and seduces with precise, spare prose, creat[ing] unforgettable characters we want to lift off the page. She is not only a gifted writer, but an absolutely essential one.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Marvelous . . . spare yet luminous. The subtle power of Cisneros’s storytelling is evident. She communicates all the rapture and rage of growing up in a modern world.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“A deeply moving novel...delightful and poignant. . . . Like the best of poetry, it opens the windows of the heart without a wasted word.” —Miami Herald

“Sandra Cisneros is one of the most brillant of today’s young writers. Her work is sensitive, alert, nuanceful . . . rich with music and picture.” —Gwendolyn Brooks

The House on Mango street

Wonderfully dark in a young lovely light. The story is clever and full of standalone lines.

Intro?

Can it be unabridged if the intro is not the same. I have read the book and this took me off track. I believe it should follow the book.

The voice ruins it for me

I love the writing in this book, but I cannot listen to that voice. I will just have to keep reading it for myself.

Underappreciated

I respect Cisneros for trying something different. She succeeded. Esperanza's voice is beautiful and unique.

Interesting Symbolic Approach to Literature

Where does The House on Mango Street rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This was my first and I really liked it. Mostly because I can listen in my car on my long drive to school. This way I can use that time wisely instead of having to find time in my schedule to sit down and read the book, which is hard for me.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The House on Mango Street?

The Non-typo

Have you listened to any of Sandra Cisneros’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not yet listened to any of her other books.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The Red clowns and in the garden