The House on Mango Street - Sandra Cisneros

Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street is a short novel that follows the beautiful and complex life of a girl named Esperanza Cordera. The novel covers one year of the twelve year olds life, where she is fully submerged in the lives of everyone else around her. All authentic and extremely impactful, moulding her into the person she will later become, teaching her life lessons that stay with Esperanza through her coming-of-age journey, right to the end.

What a stunning and well articulated story. I’ve read a lot of books in the eighteen years that I’ve been on this planet, but nothing quite like this. I wanted to broaden my chosen reading genres and took a look at this puzzle I received for Christmas. Over 70 world renowned novels are on this puzzle, all worthy of five stars depending on your taste and this one - The House on Mango Street - caught my eye. They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, I don’t and never will do that, but what I did do was judge it by its title! Which is just as risky, I know, but luckily my eyes were right and my gut was accurate. Not only did the title bring me this ray of bright, welcoming, light, reminding me of happy summer days, but the words written within the cover of this book threw me this way and that giving me even more reason to fall in love with it. The story is just as warm and radiant as its title, arousing curiosity and surprising me with what Cisneros’ story is truly about.

  It’s heartbreaking at times but draws on all the joy our world brings to us as well. Cisneros sheds light on the harsh realities of life as well as the small delights that find us along the way. From domineering males to innocent young children trying to find themselves in a world that seems so well developed and matured in comparison. It’s relatable, the kind of read that everyone should pick up and learn from. Because there’s things in life that make us feel alone at times, and Esperanza cures that isolation with a little validation. And sometimes that’s all we need.

Cisneros tells all the things mentioned above in a beautifully poetic way that flows from one short, descriptive passage that captures a moment in time to the next, keeping the reader guessing as each passage unravels. It’s a five star novel that can be read in a day, and can be read again and again and again until the story no longer needs to be told because the individual reading it finally understands the importance of time, patience, and acceptance. It could truly never become a bore.

Buy your copy of this book using the link below:

UK: https://amzn.eu/d/iDFlbDn

From the Oxford Dictionary: bildungsromans is a novel dealing with one person's formative years or spiritual education

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies - Deesha Philyaw

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies is a short story composed of 9 chapters that share the raw, real to life, lives of black women who come from highly religious families. From ladies listening to their hearts, exploring queer love and desire, to celibate women in their forties, to young school aged girls exploring what a relationship is, and how it can affect others around them. It doesn’t matter what the story, they all have one thing linking them together: faith. Something they might feel restricted by, yet they explore the boundaries that come with it and defy them in noteworthy and inspirational ways.

         This novel empowers Philyaw’s readers with its unique ideas and perspectives. With the very first chapter to the very last chapter of this book being told from the first person, which provides an honest and wholehearted representation of each issue being raised.

         Eula is about a woman named Eula. She’s in denial, under pressure, and frankly quite fearful. She’s exploring her sexual identity in an extremely guarded way. While, Daughter - in the last chapter: When Eddie Levert Comes - experiences the heartache and constant and strenuous responsibility of looking after her mother, who sadly suffers from vascular dementia.

         So when I talk about issues being raised in the way they should be raised, I know that I can declare this to be a five-star story that needs be to read. Its feminism runs strong throughout, putting the needs and desires of women at the forefront of Philyaw’s writing, while intertwining smaller topics such as queerness and ethnicity into the bigger picture as she goes along.

         Philyaw’s scenes are not only incredibly relatable and soul-stirring, they’re written in such a way that feels raw and extremely realistic to the human mind and body. As well as what we as people, no matter our religious backgrounds, or ethnicity, or gender, or sexual orientation, go through on a daily basis; from arbitrary thoughts to both senseless and meaningful actions.  

         It covers a wide range of topics, none to be ignored, but there’s something in each of them that the individual reading it can learn from. And I think that’s a really powerful thing to be able to do with the use of words and phrases. Each character has been made wonderfully believable, with their own faults and personal beauty marks that can be found in everyone around you (if you look hard enough). It highlights the nature of human beings, expressing the fact that people need people - whoever that may be, young or old, boy or girl, lover or friend. Everybody needs somebody, and I love how Philyaw has made me as an individual see this.

         And because of Philyaw’s unparalleled work of art, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies is a book I would read repeatedly throughout my life just for its sole purpose – which I see to be: to show and understand the dark secrets we all have, but to shed light on all the brightness those dark secrets will never be able to dim.

         I loved this book and I think a lot of people need this book. It came from a deeply personal place in Deesha Philyaw’s heart and soul, and I highly respect that. She used short yet complicated and easy to follow stories that got straight to the point and never bored me once.

         With that said, if you like a story where there’s a variety of different lives being expressed, connected by a singular concept (similar to Charly Cox’s novel she must be mad - which I have burning desire to read) then The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw is a perfect match. It’s adventurous, stimulating, thought provoking, and just plain beautiful.

Buy your copy of the book from the link below:

UK: https://amzn.eu/d/iOXLkqv