Cisneros's The House on Mango Street (1984) tells in poetry and prose the inspiring coming-of-age story of Esperanza Cordero, a young girl growing up in the impoverished Hispanic community in Chicago.

The anthology Pieces of the Heart: New Chicano Fiction (1993), edited by the Chicano poet Gary Soto, contains fifteen selections from authors such as Cisneros, Alberto Alvaro Rios, Ana Castillo, Victor Martinez, and Helena Maria Viramontes.

Growing Up Chicana/o (1995), edited by Tiffany Ana Lopez, contains twenty autobiographical essays and stories that explore the Mexican-American experience from many angles. One of the essays is by Cisneros, on her memories of growing up in Chicago.

Mexicanos: A History of Mexicans in the United States (1999), by Manuel G. Gonzales, surveys more than two centuries of Mexican-American history. Gonzales reappraises the successes and failures of the Chicano movement; his fair-minded approach does justice not...