Writer's Fallout Shelter

I actually came across a great example that relates to this whole Universal vs. Personal thing. Last week, I had to read The House on Mango Street for a class. The author, Sandra Cisneros, grew up living in a house she was ashamed of and always wanted a space of her own where she could get away and be by herself for a bit. It was a luxury she did not have as a child.

The narrator shares those same desires, but more than that, the entire book is about the need and desire to carve a space for oneself in the world.

Arrrggghhhh.....

I'm having trouble expressing this, but she takes her childhood desires and turns them into the theme (sorry, Beren) of the novel in such a way that it manages to speak to that part of everyone that just wants a place of their own, not answerable to anyone, regardless of background or personal history.