很多时候特别怕读久负盛名的书。这些书通常都是excellent，还有很多人从很多角度进行的全面解读。如果把众人的解读读完了，这本书本来的内容基本就被稀释了。如果不看这些解读，自己又怕漏掉了作者的深意。过年期间就读完了两本书，一个是杨绛先生的《走在人生路上——自问自答》，一个就是这本The House On Mango Street。想来是过年期间心情浮躁，这本书看过就忘。书里的人，动物，地点真是多呀，每篇都不长，就像是三两个旧友聊天时随意谈起某个人，顺势说了几句。如果有闲心在纸上画上这条街，在街两边都是林立的公寓，公寓进出的人，附近的商店，树木都一一画出来，也就能够理清楚这些人物关系了。可是真有这个必要么？豆瓣上把它定义为“诗小说”。
它由几十个短篇组成，一个短篇讲述一个人、一件事、一个梦想、几朵云，几棵树、几种感觉，语言清澈如流水，点缀着零落的韵脚和新奇的譬喻，如一首首长歌短调，各自成韵，又彼此钩连，汇聚出一个清晰世界，各样杂沓人生。所有的讲述都归于一个叙述中心：居住在芝加哥拉美移民社区芒果街上的女孩埃斯佩朗莎（埃斯佩朗莎，是西班牙语里的希望）。生就对弱的同情心和对美的感觉力，她用清澈的眼打量周围的世界，用美丽稚嫩的语言讲述成长，讲述沧桑，讲述生命的美好与不易，讲述年轻的热望和梦想，梦想着有一所自己的房子，梦想着在写作中追寻自我，获得自由和帮助别人的能力。
——豆瓣
这个豆瓣介绍美感和内容都有了。我自己也没看出这么多来。仅分享两个印象深刻的地方。
Four Skinny Trees
They are the only ones who understand me. I am the only one who understands them. Four skinny trees with skinny necks and pointy elbows like mine. Four who do not belong here but here. Four rags excuses planted by the city. From our room we can hear them but Nenny just sleeps and doesn't appreciate these things.
Their strength is secret. They send ferocious roots beneath the ground. They grow up and they grow down and grab the earth between their hairy toes and bite the sky with violent teeth and never quit their anger. This is how they keep.
Let one forget his reason for being, they'd all droop like tulips in a glass, each with their arms around the other. Keep, keep, keep, trees say when I sleep. They teach.
When I am too sad and too skinny to keep keeping, when I am a tiny thing against so many bricks, then it is I look at trees. When there is nothing left to look at on this street. Four who grew despite concrete. Four who reach and do not forget to reach. Four whose only reason is to be and be.
四棵树，瘦而顽强地生长着，除了Esperanza，没人注意到这样顽强的生命力。因为Esperanza自己一直不放弃对美好的期待，一直不放弃追求着，她也就看到了它们无与伦比的strength。Keep, keep, keep。仅仅是看到这样简短有力的文字就可以支撑着自己上进，上进。
A House of My Own
Not a flat. Not an apartment in back. Not a man's house. Not a daddy's. A house all my own. With my porch and my pillow, my pretty purple petunias. My books and my stories. My two shoes waiting beside the bed. Nobody to shake a stick at. Nobody's garbage to pick up after.Only a house quiet as snow, a space for myself to go, clean as paper before the poem.
我不知道男人怎么看，反正作为女人的我，对于拥有一个自己50平方温馨小屋的愿望越来越强烈。在心里留一个安放我心的地方，寻求自己的稳定和喜乐。
