(4) YA Social Issues in Literature series. Each collection reprints short pieces introducing the author's life, investigating one theme of his or her title work, and exploring related issues in contemporary society. These collections are most helpful when the theme is central to the work, as the environment is to Walden; in other cases (the Hamlet volume, for example), the approach is a little restrictive. Reading list, timeline. Bib., ind. Review covers these Social Issues in Literature titles: The Abuse of Power in George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, Patriarchy in Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street, Corruption in William Shakespeare's Hamlet, and The Environment in Henry David Thoreau's Walden.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) YA Multicultural Literature series. Students of literature will appreciate these dense but useful discussions of notable titles popular with young adult audiences. Plot summaries, literary elements, reception and criticism, and a brief overview of the authors' lives combine with photographs and sidebars to present a thorough analysis of the books, their literary and historical significance, and the authors who wrote them. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Multicultural Literature titles: A Reader's Guide to Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street, A Reader's Guide to Gary Soto's Taking Sides, A Reader's Guide to Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, and A Reader's Guide to Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis.

Reviewer: Tamara DePasquale

(4) YA Latino Biography Library series. These biographies describe how Cisneros struggled to feel appreciated and understood as a Latina author and how Ochoa's groundbreaking path frequently led her to be the only woman in her field of study and profession. The texts, though choppy, are readable. Photographs and sidebars add interest and some context for report writers. Reading list, timeline, websites. Ind. Review covers these Latino Biography Library titles: Ellen Ochoa and Sandra Cisneros.

Reviewer: Sarah Novogrodsky

(4) YA World Writers series. Bracket explores Cisneros's Chicana heritage and its influences on her writing. The focus is primarily on her feelings of isolation and her attempts to feel at home with her surroundings and culture. The well-researched but sterile and disjointed text includes brief literary analyses of Cisneros's writings as well as discussions of her political activism. Timeline. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) YA Hispanic Biographies series. Highlighting the effects of poverty and of mixed-parentage on Cisneros's young life and the difficulties of being a Chicano writer in a mostly white, middle-class literary world, the author also discusses Cisneros's personal strengths, convictions, and vulnerabilities. The result is a well-balanced look at an individual who is both shaped by and a shaper of the world around her. A chronology and black-and-white photos are included. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Mary Burkey