81R17636 CBE-D
By: Villarreal H.R. No. 1118
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The 25th anniversary of the publication of The House
on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is being celebrated on April 3,
2009, at the Central Library of the San Antonio Public Library
System; and
WHEREAS, Published by Arte Publico Press in 1984, The House
on Mango Street resists classification; at fewer than 115 pages, it
is the length of a novella, yet its division into many sections
suggests a collection of short stories, while its lyrical language
often reads more like verse than prose; ultimately, it is each of
these things at once; chapters can stand alone, but when read
together, they combine to give the long perspective of a novel; and
WHEREAS, The book is narrated by a young girl named Esperanza
whose family has bought their first home after years of moving;
although they had dreamed of a white house with trees and a big
yard, the house on Mango Street is instead "small and red" with
crumbling bricks, few trees, and no front yard; the book follows
Esperanza as she comes of age amid the rhythms of her new street,
negotiating both the pain and the beauty of her working-class
Latino culture; her insightful observations of neighbors, friends,
and loved ones reveal her own budding identity and explore themes of
individuality and community, escape and return, and romance and
gender inequality; and
WHEREAS, This beloved story was inspired by Ms. Cisneros's
own experience growing up in a Chicago barrio, where her family
finally bought a home after moving many times between Mexico and the
states; she wrote secretly as a child and was later encouraged to
join her high school's literary magazine, which she went on to serve
as editor; earning a bachelor's degree in English from Loyola
University in Chicago, she subsequently attended the prestigious
Iowa Writers' Workshop, and it was there that the nascent idea for
Mango Street took hold; and
WHEREAS, The year after it was published, The House on Mango
Street won the Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award, and
Ms. Cisneros became the first Chicana writer to garner mainstream
attention; republished in 1989 by Vintage Books, a division of
Random House, the book has since become a mainstay on classroom
reading lists; moreover, it has sold more than two million copies
and been translated into languages the world over; and
WHEREAS, For a quarter of a century, readers everywhere have
been moved by the depth, insight, and richness of this
coming-of-age classic, and it is indeed fitting to pay tribute to
one of the most admired books of our time; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
Legislature hereby commemorate the 25th anniversary of the
publication of The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros and
extend to Ms. Cisneros sincere best wishes for continued success;
and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Ms. Cisneros as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.