Perfect Pairing: Neighborhood Odes and The House on Mango Street

Chicano and Hispanic culture is one of the most colorful, diverse, and growing cultures in the United States.  At St. Peter Claver, we have a special relationship to Hispanic culture, through our relationship to those who attend Spanish Mass at the church.  I have loved finding out more about the Chicano and Hispanic culture from my Chicano and Hispanic students, and they and their parents have taught me a lot about the true meaning of diversity!

If you are interested in learning more about Chicano and Hispanic culture, then literature is a great place to look.  Two of my favorite collections, Neighborhood Odes by Gary Soto (published by Harcourt) and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros (published by Vintage Books), are wonderful depictions of the Chicano and Hispanic culture from the viewpoints of children and young adults.

Gary Soto was born in California to Mexican-American parents.  He has written prolifically in many genres, but much of his writing is poetry.  His poetry, and especially the collection of poetry in Neighborhood Odes, reflects on life as a Mexican-American in the Chicano culture.  Neighborhood Odes talks about everyday life for children in a neighborhood--many of their experiences might be familiar to non-Hispanics (the sound of the ice cream truck), but some experiences are colored by the specific perspective of being Hispanic.  There are Spanish words throughout the poems, and uniquely Chicano phrases and dialogue.

Another great read is The House on Mango Street, a collection of short stories.  The author, Sandra Cisneros, is also Mexican-American, but she was born in Chicago.  Unlike Neighborhood Odes, Mango Street is in the voice of one young girl, Esperanza.  The House on Mango Street is her coming-of-age story, and it speaks powerfully to common feelings of turning from a girl into a young woman, and how Esperanza's Hispanic Heritage affects her growing up.

One great thing about both of these collections is that they can be taken as a whole or as parts.  If you wanted to read a few poems from Soto and a few stories from Cisneros, you would gain a lot.  If you chose to read the entirety of both collections, you would gain a lot.  Both authors do a wonderful job of tapping into the teen psyche and viewing it through the unique lens of Chicano and Hispanic culture.  I loved both of these collections, and I think you will, too!