I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Mass Market Paperback – April 21, 2009

This book is worth reading on a lot of levels. First, her use of language describing her insights and observations is profound and beautiful. Example 1: "Then the wife who had been so charming and ready to smile changed into a silent shadow that played infrequently along the walls." Example 2: "The fact that the adult American Negro female emerges a formidable character is often met with amazement, distaste and even belligerence. It is seldom accepted as an inevitable outcome of the struggle won by survivors and deserves respect if not enthusiastic acceptance." Example 3: "The quality of strength lined with tenderness is an unbeatable combination, as are intelligence and necessity when unblunted by formal education." Example 4: "He was a simple man who had no inferiority complex about his lack of education and, even more amazing, no superiority complex because he had succeeded despite that lack."Second. The stories she tells give a flavor of living in that place and time, as well as the cultural differences. For example she tells a story that starts with: "One afternoon, I was invited into our smoke-filled dining room to make the acquaintance of Stonewall Jimmy, Just Black, Cool Clyde, Tight Coat, and Red Leg. Daddy Cidell explained to me that they were the most successful con men in the world, and they were going to tell me about some games so that I would never be 'anybody's mark.'"Third. She gives specific examples of how the Black culture differed form the White, specifically the educated Black youth. Example: "We were alert to the gap separating the written word from the colloquial. We learned to slide out of one language and into another without being conscious of the effort. At school, in a given situation, we might respond with 'That's not unusual.' But in the street, meeting the same situation, we easily said, 'It be's like that sometimes.'"Fourth. She depicts the good, the bad and the ugly, not only in herself and her family but also in the Black and White culture. She does not gloss over her fears and failures. She does this not in a judgmental, mean or racist way, but almost as a non involved bystander would, or a journalist trying to be fair.There is much wisdom in this book and I hope my review will encourage you to read it.

An option for HS AP class, I decided to purchase two bc I hadn’t read this since HS. Great read!

This is a timeless tale, a masterpiece of literature written by a gifted lady. Mya Angelou made her story dance into my cultural history, memories of childhood experiences and empathy for hardships she experienced. Through it all, she persevered, flying high and free. One word—beautiful!

Maya Angelou's classic memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, is as raw as it gets. Covering her childhood through age 17 in the 1930s and 40s, Angelou unflinchingly details the racial discrimination of the era. But what makes this book so powerful is her honest account of the abuse she suffered at the hands of her own family. Despite these devastating challenges, her story is one of resilience and a remarkable journey to success.

Nostalgia enveloped me as I read her story, which all too closely resembled those experienced personally or by those I know. Racism, classism, and abuse are just a few of the challenges faced by black women. These stories, passed down through generations, families’ secrets, and perseverance have become sadly rites of passage for what has become the “black woman” experience. I have never encountered such heartbreaking and life-altering occurrences written so eloquently. The author possesses an extraordinary gift for words. This read was both poignant and a reminder of the history of families and journeys traveled. I cannot help but feel that there is something I have missed, and this book will undoubtedly be a re-read for me.

There is a lot of sweetness here, especially the ending.Amazon wants 10 more words....how about life affirming? How about beautifully written?

This is a very compelling insight into racial bigotry in 1930s U.S. I thought I had some understanding of what it must have felt like to be black in the "Jim Crow" era, even though I grew up on the other side of the racial divide. But this book really gave me a compelling new insight.Maya Angelou, sent, with her older brother Bailey, to be raised by her paternal grandmother (called "Momma") in Stamps, Ark., described graphically what it was like. In compelling prose, often bordering on poetry, she described her feelings, sensations, and fantasies in the oppressive apartheid environment. She describes how she was so segregated from the white population that she was not sure there really were white people. The most compelling description was when she needed emergency dental treatment. Stamps had only a single white dentist. Maya was in unbearable pain. Finally, "Momma" decided to defy the system and ask the white dentist to treat her granddaughter. "Momma" thought it might work because she had loaned money, interest-free to the dentist when he was on the verge of bankruptcy. Maya and "Momma" were forced to wait outside the back entrance to the dentist's office for a long time before he would emerge to talk to them. He was adamant--no matter what "Momma" had done to help him, and no matter how much pain the little girl was experiencing, he would not treat her. "I would rather put my hands in a dog's mouth than a niggah's." "Momma" then instructed Maya to wait outside while she went inside. The book describes Maya's fantasy of how her grandmother was confronting the bigot and putting him in his place. In fact, "Momma" extracted bus fare from the dentist as compensation for the earlier loan that had saved his practice. Then grandmother and Maya took the bus to the nearest African-American dentist in Texarkana.This autobiography takes us through Ms. Angelou's high school graduation. It was a remarkable experience as she and Bailey moved from Stamps, to St. Louis, back to Stamps, then to San Francisco, as they were raised first by paternal grandmother, then by mother and maternal grandmother, then back to paternal grandmother, then back to mother (with an intervening visit by Maya to father in Los Angeles). She goes through many of the trials and tribulations of adolescents and teenagers, but all through the lens of depression era racial bigotry and a splintered family.This is one of the most compelling books I have read a long time. I could not put it down.