Maya Angelou's Autobiographical Novel: "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"

Sarah: Ainda não terminei de ler, mas a escrita da Maya sorrateiramente nos coloca imersas na realidade da história. É uma leitura leve e fácil, apesar de tratar de temas profundos.

Brazil on Oct 06, 2023

charliegirl: A wonderful, enlightening book. It's beautifully and sensitively written, yet painfully honest. I had a bit of knowledge of Maya Angelou before reading this, so didn't expect any humorous passages, but some parts of he story made me laugh, (especially some of the church scenes!)
She recounts her sometimes brutal childhood years in the 'deep south' with her intensely devout Grandmother and the experience of the black community in the 1930s: still feeling the 'superiority' of the white people.
Maya comes over as a brave and sometimes foolhardy child, who creates her own adventures, sometimes out of adversity. The incident when her Dad takes her to a bar and what follows is again, tragic, yet funny too! Then she was determined to get a job in a field where black people had never been employed. I was in awe of this young woman!
She has a close and mutually supportive relationship with her brother, Bailey which is lovely to read about, but, ultimately, her need to be loved in her early years, and her lack of 'sex education' in her later years lead to far-reaching consequences for her and her family.
I have ordered the second volume of her autobiography, (Gather together in...

United Kingdom on Sep 22, 2023

Debby Kerner: I recommend this book for teenagers and adults. It focuses on her early childhood through high school. A coming of age book for all.

United States on Sep 21, 2023

Cheryl Mayo: My 1st experience reading a book by a black author was this book in 1975. Thought I'd revisit again. Mt taste in writing styles have changed. Prefer more narrative themes back and forth conversations. But all in all still one of my favs

United States on Sep 04, 2023

Heather bradley: Great

United States on Sep 03, 2023

JeepNana: What can I add to perfection in writing?! Maya Angelou's command of descriptive language is outstanding, and her real life story-telling mezmerising! This should be required reading for all high school students!

United States on Aug 31, 2023

MR: The author, Maya Angelou is a stellar writer, and truly earned the accolade of one of America's Poet Laureates! All of her literary contributions are worthy of note.

United States on Aug 31, 2023

Aline SilvaAline Silva: É uma edição pocket, com páginas com folhas com a mesma qualidade de folhas de jornal. Não incomodei pois paguei baratinho... A fonte é pequena mas nada que incomode no meu caso.
A nota da avaliação é para a obra da autora.

Brazil on Aug 26, 2023

Hector Valiente: Entretenido

Spain on Jul 26, 2023

Aradhana Mathews: I picked up this book after reading an article about how it was called to be banned several times from the American school syllabus.

After reading it, I can understand where this concern came from. This book is one of several in Maya Angelou’s autobiography series; I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings explores Angelou’s early years in apartheid America - a world defined by severe racism through which the author and her family must find a way to survive.

Within the first ten years of her life, young Maya is exposed to traumas that many grown adults would not be able to handle, from several instances of racial violence, to lynching and even rape.

And yet, in spite of these horrors, the book’s tone isn't predominantly tragic, as one might expect. I was surprised at the matter-of-fact narrative style which simultaneously increased my horror at the normalcy of the atrocities that were committed during those times, as well as fostered a deep admiration for a human being that was not only forced to endure, but kept moving forward, one step at a time.

As for whether the book should be banned or not - I am in complete agreement with the necessity of retaining...

India on May 02, 2023