Maya Angelou’s debut memoir is a modern American classic beloved worldwide. Her life story is told in the documentary film And Still I Rise, as seen on PBS’s American Masters.
Here is a book as joyous and painful, as mysterious and memorable, as childhood itself. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings captures the longing of lonely children, the brute insult of bigotry, and the wonder of words that can make the world right. Maya Angelou’s debut memoir is a modern American classic beloved worldwide.
Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local “powhitetrash.” At eight years old and back at her mother’s side in St. Louis, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age—and has to live with the consequences for a lifetime. Years later, in San Francisco, Maya learns that love for herself, the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors (“I met and fell in love with William Shakespeare”) will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned.
Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings will touch hearts and change minds for as long as people read.
“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings liberates the reader into life simply because Maya Angelou confronts her own life with such a moving wonder, such a luminous dignity.”—James Baldwin
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It is amazing that we can hear Dr Here’s my review on one of the three books that I’ve read by Maya Angelou:I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings:Smiling Through SadnessMaya Angelouâs first memoir, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, captures the sweetest, purest, and the most honest inner voice of a black child who grew up to be a heroine. Dr. Angelou does not censor anything; She wants us to know it all. It is so true, straightforward, and uncensored that many white parents have attempted to ban this book…
Entertaining and Informative. Eye-openning for a 63 year-pld white woman who grew up in the suburbs int the mid-west in the 50s/60s. It read well and was interesting to look out of the eyes of another woman’s life. I like non-fiction because in the real world, the story does not tie everything up into one neat bow in the end.
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS EVER WRITTEN Maya Angelou tells her story from infancy through early adulthood. Her voice is so matter of fact, whether she’s telling about humorous or heinous happenings. This book is both eyeopening and a real pleasure to read. Note that Maya Angelou also wrote a number of sequels continuing her story, all worth reading but none compare to the original.