Podcast
On Being with Krista Tippett
This novel was mentioned as one of Cisneros' beloved novels and was inspired by a mentor, Mrs. Camacho de Lpez, a walking Smithsonian of Mexican culture.
Her beloved novels include Caramello and the iconic The House on Mango Street.
— Episode: Sandra Cisneros — A House of Her Own
Episode: Sandra Cisneros — A House of Her Own
This novel was mentioned as one of Cisneros' beloved novels and was inspired by a mentor, Mrs. Camacho de Lpez, a walking Smithsonian of Mexican culture.
Her beloved novels include Caramello and the iconic The House on Mango Street.
She was the daughter of a reboso maker, a shawmaker. I borrowed that to create my character, the awful grandmother.
Episode: [Unedited] Sandra Cisneros with Krista Tippett
The author mentioned creating an "awful grandmother" character in this book, exaggerating aspects of her own grandmother's personality. The book's creation was partly inspired by stories shared by her mentor, Maria Luisa Camacho de Lopez.
In some ways, I'm finding that we're similar because now I'm friends with the nuns. I like them because they're radical women and I have a convent. They always were. I didn't know that when I was a kid but now I'm friends with a convent that's half a block from my house.
But more than anything, she had such a pride in being who she was. And her husband was a San Antonio of Mexican descent. And this couple, their house became a cultural center. Anybody who wanted to come in and learn something, it was a very tiny little house next to the HEB grocery store. And everybody would come in. And they were just people of great spirit.