This novel is written as a series of short chapters, which tell the story of funny, cool, sassy Esperanza, a Chicana girl growing up in Chicago.
- What are the various types of borders that Esperanza has to navigate in this novel? Are they just literal borders, or are there also linguistic borders, cultural borders, and gender borders? What do these borders tell us about the Chicano/a experience?
- What are some of the strategies that Esperanza uses to deal with the challenges she faces as a Chicana? What does this suggest about how Chicano/as survive in the U.S.?