Reading Rainbo

I'm rereading The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros so that I can read it to my students this coming school year. The house on Mango street was not a real house or in a real neighborhood in Chicago, but a mishmash of ideas, feelings, and impressions Cisneros had living on streets near here; Keeler, Campbell, Loomis, Wabansia, Paulina, as well as stories her students told here while teaching in Pilsen. Personally, I love this book. I can sit all day and try and express the feel of my neighborhood good and bad, in poetic, romantic ways, but it is not nearly as striking as the rich tapestry of emotions, experiences, and imagery that Cisneros weaves throughout the book. Check it out.