In short vignettes, author Sandra Cisnero tells the story of Esperanza Cordero in The House on Mango Street. The coming-of-age novel, a seminal Chicana feminist text, is as poignant now as it was three decades ago when it was first released. The book, which has been assigned as required reading in schools and had an art exhibition in its honor, is now being turned into a TV show.
Cisneros previously declined offers to adapt the book for the big and small screens, but with our current political situation and the rise of streaming services, she decided it was time.
“I write because the world we live in is a house on fire, and the people we love are burning,” she said, according to Deadline. “Television has grown up in the last 20 years and now is the time to tell our stories.”
The novel will be adapted by Gaumont, the producer behind Netflix’s Narcos. If the show is picked up, Cisneros will serve as an executive producer.