2024 brings the 40th anniversary of Sandra Cisneros’ now classic and highly celebrated The House on Mango Street. In 2004 Tusiata Avia published the iconic Wild Dogs Under My Skirt and since then has published five books which will no-doubt be treasured by readers well into the future. What is it about these books and others like them which slide so naturally into the realms of the classic?  Do certain books get better with time?  How does the relationship between the author and the writing change as years pass?

Sinead Overbye speaks with Sandra Cisneros, Linda Tuhiwai Smith and Tusiata Avia to discuss what makes certain books speak to multiple generations with ease.