Border Crossings and Beyond: The Life and Works of Sandra Cisneros

(Hardback)

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Author of The House on Mango Street, which has sold more than two million copies in English alone, activist, MacArthur grant genius, figure of inspiration and controversy, Sandra Cisneros is unequivocally one of America's most important and much discussed contemporary literary figures. In a writing career that has spanned more than three decades, Cisneros has written acclaimed poetry and prose, including, My Wicked, Wicked Ways, Loose Woman, Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories, and Caramelo, or, Puro Cuenta. Border Crossings and Beyond: The Life and Works of Sandra Cisneros traces the ways in which Cisneros's personal history, art, and influence are intertwined. The result is a revealing and multi-faceted portrait of the artist as writer, woman, and Mexican American. From a childhood defined by repeated migrations between Texas and Mexico, to the Chicano and women's movements, and the impact of her father's death, author Carmen Hayde Rivera offers a comprehensive and thoughtful engagement of Cisneros's writings, as well as her tremendous personal struggles and significant gifts. It will become mandatory reading for those who wish to understand the significance and power of Cisneros's contribution to Latina/o literature and American letters.

Reviews

Best known as the author of The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros is recognized as one the most important contemporary U.S. writers. In this book, Rivera (English and Latino/a Literature, University of Puerto Rico) examines the ways in which issues of cultural and racial identity are reflected in Cisneros' writing and social activism. Chapters look at Cisneros' creative process when writing novels and analyze her poetry collections, highlighting the distinctions that she makes between the two forms of writing. Rivera concludes with a discussion of Cisneros' role as an activist involved in community affairs, particularly those related to the development of Latino/a lives. * Reference & Research Book News *
[R]eadable, engaging . . . Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; general readers. * Choice *

Author Bio

Carmen Hayde Rivera was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Boston. She received her BA and MA in British and American Literature from the University of Puerto Rico in 1988 and 1991, respectively. She later returned to Boston and earned a PhD in Multiethnic Literatures of the U.S. from Northeastern University in 2001. She has taught courses in American Literature, Puerto Rican Writers in the US, and Contemporary US Latino/a Literature.