Cisneros “House on Mango Street” tells the story of a young girl, Esperanza, as she struggles to find a better life in Chicago and say goodbye to the miserable life she leads in Puerto Rico ( Cisneros, 2004). Leaving her poor village, she promises herself to go back for those she left behind; he is fully aware of the poor life his friends and relatives lead. An important aspect of this book concerns how Cisneros portrays Esperanza's use of language to form her identity. In “Café Europa” Drakuli examines the life stories of the peoples of Eastern Europe after the fall of the USSR. It also uses language in presenting its themes, as well as portraying its power in social development. Language is a powerful tool that determines the degree to which a person integrates into society and establishes his or her identity. This article examines how the authors describe language in these books and how this language induces contact between entities. Similarities/differences Although the two authors address similar topics, they do so with surprisingly different methods, which recommend their approach and language. Their main similarity is that both Cisneros and Drakuli agree that lack of proficiency in language/culture creates helplessness; mastering it, on the other hand, offers unique opportunities since one can communicate, discuss, express and govern. Esperanza, for example, wishes to change her name because she considers this the first step towards creating her own destiny. Drakuli also understood that the only way she and her people could be free was to shed the communist mentality and develop autonomous cultural and linguistic structures suited to their needs. A voc...... middle of paper ......In both of their works, they demonstrate the veracity of this statement by presenting examples of how it has caused and aided cultural, social and ideological change for various people, under different circumstances. Overall, language induces contact between entities. Works Cited Cisneros, S. (2004). The House on Mango Street, 2nd edition. London: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN: 9780747560876. Drakulic, S. (1996). Café Europa: Life after communism. London: Abacus ISBN: 9780349107295. Merril, C. (1997). “Breaking Away: Cafe Europa: Life After Communism, by Norton, WW” Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 10, 2011: http://articles.latimes.com/1997-02-16/books/bk-29259_1_drakulic-cafe-europa.Silber, E. S, and Fisher, J. (2003). Readings in literature: reading through the lens of genre. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press.