<Tr> <Th> Dewey Decimal </Th> <Td> 813 /. 54 20 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> LC Class </Th> <Td> PS3553. I78 H6 1991 </Td> </Tr> <P> The House on Mango Street is a 1984 coming - of - age / bildungsroman novel by Mexican - American author Sandra Cisneros . It is written from the perspective of teenage Latina, Esperanza Cordero, who struggles with her life in a Chicano and Puerto Rican neighborhood of Chicago . Esperanza wishes to escape her impoverished life in her small red house on Mango Street to then return one day to rescue her loved ones as well . It is an account of life in an immigrant community addressing themes of Marxism, racism, sexism, sexuality, sexual abuse, feminism, and Chicana culture . The novel combines old Mexican traditions with modern American customs and explores the plight of marginalized Latinos struggling to survive in a dominantly white country . It is presented in a series of vignettes and is Sandra Cisneros' first published novel . The book has earned many awards and accolades, and is considered to be a modern classic of Chicana literature . It is a New York Times Bestseller and has been adapted into a stage play by Tanya Saracho . </P> <P> Because the novel deals with controversial subject matter and has become a staple of young adult academia, it has been banned from many schools and has faced a lot of criticism . Though it has faced a lot of criticism from censors and school boards, it is considered an important and highly influential coming - of - age novel, and has appeared on many young adult reading lists . </P>

Historical information about the house on mango street