《芒果街上的小屋》 一本优美纯净的小书，一本“诗小说”。由几十个短篇组成，语言清澈如流水，点缀着零落的韵脚和新奇的譬喻，如一首首长歌短调，各自成韵，又彼此钩连，汇聚出一个清晰世界，各样杂沓人生。所有的讲述都归于一个叙述中心：居住在芝加哥拉美移民社区芒果街上的女孩埃斯佩朗莎。生就对弱的同情心和对美的感觉力，她用清澈的眼打量周围的世界，用美丽稚嫩的语言讲述成长、沧桑、生命的美好与不易和年轻的热望与梦想，梦想有一所自己的房子，梦想在写作中追寻自我，获得自由和帮助别人的能力。

　　Louie,His Cousin&His Other Cousin
　　Louie's girl cousin is older than us. She lives with Louie's family because her own family is in Puerto Rico. Her name is Marin or Maris or something like that, and she wears dark nylons all the time and lots of makeup she gets free from selling Avon. She can't come out _gotta baby-sit with Louie's sisters- but she stands in the doorway a lot, all the time singing, clicking her fingers, the same song:

　　Apples, peaches, pumpkin pah-ay

　　You're in love and so am ah-ay

　　Louie's has another cousin. We only saw him once, but it was important. We were playing volleyball in the alley when he drove up in this great big yellow Cadillac whitewalls and a yellow scarf tied around the mirror. Louie's cousin has his arm out the window. He honked a couple of times and a lot of faces looked out from Louie's back window and then a lot of people came out—Louie, Marin and all the little sisters.

　　　　　　　　　　　　
　　路易，他的表亲以及他的其他表亲
　　路易加的小表姐比我们大。她住在路易家里，因为她自己家在波多黎各。她好像是叫玛琳或者玛芮斯，或者跟这差不多的名字。她总是穿暗色的尼龙丝袜，化很多妆，那是她推销雅芳的时候不花钱得来的。她没法出门——得照看路易的小姐妹们，可她常常站在门道里，一直唱着歌，打着响指。她只唱一首歌：

　　苹果桃儿南瓜派哟，

　　你在恋爱我也在哟。

　　路易还有一个表兄。我们只见过他一次，可那次很轰动。我们在巷子里玩排球，他开着一辆又大又气派的黄色卡迪拉克过来了，白璧轮胎，镜子上系着一条黄绶带。路易的表兄把胳膊伸在车窗外面。他摁了几下喇叭，许多张脸从路易加的后窗出来，接着，出来很多人——路易、玛琳和所有的小妹妹们。