居住在拉美貧民社區(qū)芒果街上的女孩埃斯佩朗莎。生就對他人痛苦的同情心和對美的感覺力，她用清澈的眼打量周圍的世界，用美麗稚嫩的語言講述成長，講述滄桑，講述生命的美好與不易，講述年輕的熱望和夢想，夢想著有一所自己的房子，夢想著在寫作中追尋自我，獲得自由和幫助別人的能力。
Everybody in our family has different hair. My Papa's hair is like a broom, all up in the air. And me, my hair is lazy. It never obeys barrettes or bands. Carlos' hair is thick and straight. He doesn't need to comb it. Nenny's hair is slippery——slides out of your hand. And Kiki, who is the youngest, has hair like fur. But my mother's hair, my mother's hair, like little rosettes, like little candy circles all curly and pretty because she pinned it in pincurls all day, sweet to put your nose into when she is holding you, holding you and you feel safe, is the warm smell of bread before you bake it, is the smell when she makes room for you on her side of the bed still warm with her skin, and you sleep near her, the rain outside falling and Papa snoring. The snoring, the rain, and Mama's hair that smells like bread.
我們家里每個人的頭發(fā)都不一樣。爸爸的頭發(fā)像掃把，根根直立往上插。而我，我的頭發(fā)挺懶惰。它從來不聽發(fā)夾和發(fā)帶的話?？逅沟念^發(fā)又直又厚。他不用梳頭。蕾妮的頭發(fā)滑滑的——會從你手里溜走。還有奇奇，他最小，茸茸的頭發(fā)像毛皮。 只有媽媽的頭發(fā)，媽媽的頭發(fā)，好像一朵朵小小的玫瑰花結(jié)，一枚枚小小的糖果圈兒，全都那么拳曲，那么漂亮，因為她成天給它們上發(fā)卷。把鼻子伸進(jìn)去聞一聞吧，當(dāng)她摟著你時。當(dāng)她摟著你時，你覺得那么安全，聞到的氣味又那么香甜。是那種待烤的面包暖暖的香味，是那種她給你讓出一角被窩時，和著體溫散發(fā)的芬芳。你睡在她身旁，外面下著雨，爸爸打著鼾。哦，鼾聲、雨聲，還有媽媽那聞起來像面包的頭發(fā)。