The House on Mango Street is a 1984
coming-of-age novel by Mexican-American writer
Sandra Cisneros. It deals with Esperanza Cordero, a young Latina girl, and her life growing up in
Chicago with
Chicanos and
Puerto Ricans. Esperanza is determined to "say goodbye" to her impoverished Latino neighborhood. Major themes include her quest for a better life and the importance of her promise to come back for "the ones [she] left behind". The novel has been critically acclaimed, and has also become a New York Times Bestseller. It has also been adapted into a stage play by Tanya Saracho.