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michelledevyn's review against another edition
5.0
I chose this book because I am a lover of poetry and the poem she wrote of which she named this book after, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” The poem and this novel are breaktaking and may be some of my favorite works. The book is the story of Maya’s childhood and early adulthood. After her parents are divorced, three year old Maya is sent away to live with her brother, Bailey, to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. The beginning of her self consciousness. This is book about Maya growing up and dealing with problems such as, but not limited to, racism and sexual abuse. This is an excellent book for a wide rage of readers starting at early adulthood. The sophistication and imagery used to create this memoir is inspiring.
Maya has such a way with words and it is apparent through her poetry and this memoir. Take this quote: “If growing up is painful for the Southern Black girl, being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat. It is an unnecessary insult.” (Angelou, 4) A simple analogy, but powerful. This quote was placed in the opening of the book, the last few sentences before the first chapter, a prime spot to foreshadow the path ahead of her. Even when she was simply describing children playing in the trees, which she does much later, she does so in a way that holds your attention. This style is best for those who enjoy poetry and can think abstractly. If you like to just read to get it over with, I don’t think you would enjoy her voice.
I can relate to her interior ones like her feelings toward herself and others, but not really her problems with racism for I am not of her color. Most of her experiences are global and timeless. She builds her characters beautifully; they grow up with her. Her brother went through phases and there are very small changes in their behavior that you don’t notice it unless you were to re-read as I have multiple times over. I like to think that I was the one to determine the way I feel about certain characters, but in the end, it is always the author with the final say. Even minor characters get the honor of being put into words. In this next quote, Maya is describing a person in her town names Mrs. Flowers. She used a beautiful metaphor and laced it throughout the rest of the paragraph to emphasize her skin. “Her skin was a rich black that would have peeled like a plum if snagged, but no one would have thought of getting close enough to Mrs. Flowers to ruffle her dress, let alone snag her skin. She didn’t encourage familiarity. She wore gloves too.” (Angelou, 93)
As a whole, the book moved rather effortlessly through her childhood and while most times she did not tell a specific age, I could usually sense about where she was in her life. For my personal liking, it slowed down just a bit too much somewhere in the last half of the book for a few chapters. She spends a whole chapter talking about a church ceremony and while it might have been significant, I really wasn’t that into it. Once it sped up again, I was back in swing with it, gripping each age with the same enthusiasm that she wrote with. Maya’s life was so eventful and mind blowing. It’s insane; all of the things she went through and put up with.
This book is, by far, one of my favorite books of all time.It’s a great young-adult novel. If children can read Go Ask Alice, or any book by the sort, they can read this beautifully written masterpiece.
Maya has such a way with words and it is apparent through her poetry and this memoir. Take this quote: “If growing up is painful for the Southern Black girl, being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat. It is an unnecessary insult.” (Angelou, 4) A simple analogy, but powerful. This quote was placed in the opening of the book, the last few sentences before the first chapter, a prime spot to foreshadow the path ahead of her. Even when she was simply describing children playing in the trees, which she does much later, she does so in a way that holds your attention. This style is best for those who enjoy poetry and can think abstractly. If you like to just read to get it over with, I don’t think you would enjoy her voice.
I can relate to her interior ones like her feelings toward herself and others, but not really her problems with racism for I am not of her color. Most of her experiences are global and timeless. She builds her characters beautifully; they grow up with her. Her brother went through phases and there are very small changes in their behavior that you don’t notice it unless you were to re-read as I have multiple times over. I like to think that I was the one to determine the way I feel about certain characters, but in the end, it is always the author with the final say. Even minor characters get the honor of being put into words. In this next quote, Maya is describing a person in her town names Mrs. Flowers. She used a beautiful metaphor and laced it throughout the rest of the paragraph to emphasize her skin. “Her skin was a rich black that would have peeled like a plum if snagged, but no one would have thought of getting close enough to Mrs. Flowers to ruffle her dress, let alone snag her skin. She didn’t encourage familiarity. She wore gloves too.” (Angelou, 93)
As a whole, the book moved rather effortlessly through her childhood and while most times she did not tell a specific age, I could usually sense about where she was in her life. For my personal liking, it slowed down just a bit too much somewhere in the last half of the book for a few chapters. She spends a whole chapter talking about a church ceremony and while it might have been significant, I really wasn’t that into it. Once it sped up again, I was back in swing with it, gripping each age with the same enthusiasm that she wrote with. Maya’s life was so eventful and mind blowing. It’s insane; all of the things she went through and put up with.
This book is, by far, one of my favorite books of all time.It’s a great young-adult novel. If children can read Go Ask Alice, or any book by the sort, they can read this beautifully written masterpiece.
dizcofriez's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
natalie_mcw's review against another edition
4.0
Listened on Audible, and she reads it herself! What a poet. Beautiful autobiography
adrianagoycoolea's review against another edition
3.0
My thoughts on this book are definitely skewed because I’ve been in a reading slump (life slump tbh), so I didn’t enjoy this as much as I think I would have if I read it at a different time. I love biographical writing and this book has obviously gotten a lot of praise for good reason, so I would like to reread this at a later time to fully absorb it.
That being said, when this book had my attention, I didn’t want to put it down.
That being said, when this book had my attention, I didn’t want to put it down.
brunogcarr's review against another edition
4.0
4,5✨ Primeira autobiografia que me cativou verdadeiramente (também é verdade que não as leio em abundância).