Cisneros writes from the heart of a child - bluntly and truthfully Everyone needs this book' Los Angeles Times 'Memorable the voice is unmistakable' Independent 'Cisneros draws on her rich [Latino] heritage and seduces with precise spare prose, creating unforgettable characters we want to lift off the page. She is not only a gifted writer but an absolutely essential one' New York Times Book Review 'Marvellous spare yet luminous. The subtle power of Cisneros's storytelling is evident. She communicates all the rapture and rage of growing up in a modern world' San Francisco Chronicle --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Sandra Cisneros was born in Chicago in 1954. Internationally acclaimed for her poetry and fiction, she has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Lannan Literary Award and the American Book Award, and of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the MacArthur Foundation. Cisneros is the author of two novels The House on Mango Street and Caramelo; a collection of short stories, Woman Hollering Creek; two books of poetry, My Wicked Ways and Loose Woman; and a children's book, Hairs/Pelitos. She is the founder of the Macondo Foundation, an association of writers united to serve underserved communities (www.macondofoundation.org), and is Writer in Residence at Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio. She lives in San Antonio, Texas. Find her online at www.sandracisneros.com.