SUMMARIES  -THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET: She is telling us about where she and her family lived. They first rented a house on Loomis, on Keeler and on Paulina. After all those places, they moved to Mango Street to a house of their own, they are the mom, dad, Carlos, Kiki, Nenny and she. -HAIRS: Everybody in her family has different hair. Her dad has hair like a broom, Carlos hair is thick, Nenny´s hair is slippery and Kiki´s hair is like fur. Her hair is really lazy; her mom´s hair is the best of all; it is really nice and has a lovely smell. -BOYS & GIRLS: At their home, the boys and the girls live in separate worlds. They have different ideas and opinions. Also they have different friends and likes. -MY NAME: Nenny´s real name is Magdalena, but at home she changes it. Her name is Esperanza; she wants to change herself her name to another one, it comes from her great-grandmother. Esperanza means hope. -CATHY QUEEN OF CATS: Cathy is one of her neighbors on Mango Street. She has a lot of cats in her house; big cats, skinny cats, small cats, sick cats and baby cats. She says she is the great great grand cousin of the queen of France. -OUR GOOD DAY: Esperanza got to new friends and a bicycle too for 5 dollars. This was a good day for her because her only friend was Cathy but just till Tuesday. They rode the bicycle together; their names were Rachel and Lucy. -LAUGHTER: Rachel and Lucy get along really well, but Esperanza and Nenny don’t. They are really alike they don’t want to be together so much. They also think some things the same way. -GIRL´S FURNITURE BOUGHT AND SOLD: Carlos, Esperanza and Nenny went to a vintage stores with all sort of stuff. It was a big store but with the aisles really small. The owner didn’t turn on the light of the story; he only did when you had money to buy something.

-MEME ORTIZ: Meme Ortiz who´s real name is Juan, moved into Cathy´s house. His parents moved away and he stayed with Cathy. They had a really big backyard full of trees. -LOUIE, HIS COUSIN & HIS OTHER COUSIN: Louie had 2 cousins, one of them was Marin. The other one was a disaster in a skinny alley. The cops arrested him and they took him away in the car. -MARIN: Marin has a boyfriend living in Puerto Rico. When she goes back to live there she will marry him. But she has to get a job, unless her parents are going to take her away. -THOSE WHO DON´T: People that don’t know anybody in the neighborhood are scared. They are so scared they don’t pass in there. They think the worst of the people who live there. -THERE WAS AN OLD WOMAN SHE HAD SO MANY CHILDREN SHE DIDN´T KNOW WHAT TO DO: Rosa Varga has a lot of kids. She doesn’t know how to control them. They sometimes disorder the house a lot. -ALICIA WHO SEES MICE: Alicia is a very nice girl. She inherited many things about her mother and the fabric also. She dreams, has nice thoughts and sees mice also. -DARIUS & THE CLOUDS: The sky can hypnotize you. Darius was a stupid kid who didn’t like school. One day they were looking at the sky and he said that one cloud was god. -AND SOME MORE: There is more than one name for everything. Eskimos say that there are 30 words for snow. For each thing you say or name or anything there is more ways to say it. -THE FAMILY OF LITTLE FEET: There is a family that all are tiny. The grandma has beautiful feet. Lucy and Rachel went to try the shoes of the grandma and ran away because a man was sort of abusing Rachel.

-A RICE SANDWICH: A lot of kids ate lunch at the canteen for them to not go home. Esperanza wanted to eat lunch at the canteen because she got tired going back home just for lunch. The nun gave her a letter so she could eat in the lunchroom. -CHANCLAS: Esperanza's mom forgot to buy party shoes, so Esperanza has to wear her old brown shoes. A boy who is Esperanza's cousin by first communion asks her to dance. Everyone admires their moves. -HIPS: The girls jump rope and practice what to do with hips when they got older. Rachel, Lucy and Esperanza make up songs about hips. Nenny doesnt know how top lay their game. -THE FIRST JOB: Esperanza had to get a job top ay her Catholic school. She went to her job, lying about her age, it was a rare job. In the lunchroom there was a boy that sat with her, and kissed her in the mouth. -PAPA WHO WAKES UP TIRED IN THE DARK: Their grandfather died. His dad was really sad and worried; he wanted to go to Mexico with his sisters. Esperanza was really worried about him because he hadn’t seen him that sad in a lot of time. -BORN BAD: Esperanza is in big trouble for something she did to Aunt Lupe. She used to be a beautiful swimmer, but she's been sick a long time ago. Aunt Lupe dies, and the girls begin to dream strange dreams. -ELENITA, CARDS, PALM, WATER: Elenita is a witch, Esperanza went to her house. Esperanza tried to see something in a glass of wáter and she didnt see anything. Then Elenita examined her hand and saw “a home in the heart”. -GERALDO NO LAST NAME: Marin meets a young man named Geraldo. She is the last person to see him alive. Geraldo dies in and he doesn't have any identification for the people at the hospital or for the police.

-EDNA´S RUTHIE: Ruthie is Edna´s daughter, she wears weird clothes, laughs by herself, and likes to play, she's a grown-up. Ruthie tells Esperanza that she used to write children's books. When Ruthie was young, she had lots of job offers, but she got married instead and moved to the suburbs. -THE EARL OF TENESSEE: Earl lives next door to Esperanza in Edna's basement apartment. They say Earl is married and has a wife somewhere. Earl keeps his blinds down during the day and works nights. -SIRE: A boy named Sire stares at Esperanza every time she passes his house. Papa says Sire is a punk, and Mama says not to talk to him. Sire has a girlfriend named Lois. -FOUR SKINNY TREES: There are 4 trees outside Esperanza´s house. She goes and talks to them. She says that they are the only ones that hear her and give her hope. -NO SPEAK ENGLISH: The man across the street works day and night to save the money to bring his wife and kid to the United States. Her name is Mammasita and she doesnt speak any english. Her husband starts to get crazy and yells at her. -RAFAELA WHO DRINKS COCONUT & PAPAYA JUICE ON THURSDAYS: Rafaela's husband locks his wife when he goes out. He's afraid she'll run away because she's beautiful. Rafaela asks Esperanza and her friends to go to the store to buy her some coconut or papaya juice. -SALLY: Sally is a beautiful girl who goes to Esperanza's school. Her father is very strictly religious, and won't let Sally go out. Sally always goes home after school, taking off her makeup and pulling down her skirt. -MINERVA WRITES POEMS: Minerva is older than Esperanza, but she has two kids. She sometimes writes poems; and she kicks her husband out but he comes back. One day she came with bruises all over her face.

-BUMMS IN THE ATTIC: On Sundays, Esperanza's family drives out to the neighborhood where Esperanza's Papa works to look at the beautiful houses and dream. Esperanza was ashamed because she wasn´t rich. -BEAUTIFUL AND CRUEL: Esperanza isn't like the other girls in her neighborhood. Boys don't pay attention to her. She feels ugly and unattractive to men. -A SMART COOKIE: Esperanza's mom has many skills: opera-singing skills, cooking skills, language skills. Esperanza's mom confesses that she quit school when she was young because she didn't have nice clothes. She is ashamed of that because she could have a really nice education. -WHAT SALLY SAID: Sally comes to school covered in bruises a lot, offering the excuse that she fell, but no one believes her. Sally confesses to Esperanza that her father beats her. He is really cruel to her; he hits her every time something happens.

-THE MONKEY GARDEN: Esperanza's neighbors move to Kentucky, and take their pet monkey with them. They had had a garden, and now that they're gone, the neighborhood kids take it over. She lies down and cries, and tries to wish herself to death. -RED CLOWNS: Esperanza is very confused because Sally lied to her, she went to the carnival. Esperanza accuses Sally that she lied about sex and she is mad with her. -LINOLEUM ROSES: Sally's not even in eighth grade yet when she gets married to a marshmallow salesman. Sally´s husband doesn´t let her talk to him or go out. She is afraid of him and going out of home. -THE THREE SISTERS: Lucy and Rachel's baby sister dies. There were 3 sisters at the house. They read Esperanza`s hand so she makes a wish.

-ALICIA & I TALKING ON EDNA´S STEPS: Alicia talks to Esperanza about her sadness. She is not proud of her home. She doesn´t want to go back t live in Mango Street because no one will try to fix it. -A HOUSE OF MY OWN: Esperanza´s dream is to have a house for her. She wants to build a home for her that she wants, just for herself. It will be a clean space for her. -MANGO SAYS GOODBYE SOMETIMES: Esperanza tells a story of a girl who didn´t want to belong. She writes her feelings so she is better. One day she wants to leave Mango Street and go on her own.