A novel of a young girl, Esperanza Cordero, growing up in the Latino section of Chicago. Her neighborhood is one of harsh realities and harsh beauty. Esperanza doesn't want to belong - not to her run-down neighborhood, and not to the low expectations the world has for her.

"A book of essays spanning the author's career a[nd] reflecting upon the various homes she's lived in around the world"-- "From the beloved author of The House on Mango Street: a richly illustrated compilation of true stories and nonfiction pieces that, taken together, form a jigsaw autobiography: an intimate album of a literary legend's life and career. From the Chicago neighborhoods where she grew up and set her groundbreaking The House on Mango...