"I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" Book review
In this beautiful, spiritual, and poetic #1 bestseller Maya Angelou writes about her childhood and recalls many situations that happened within her black community that changed her perspectives on life. Throughout the book Maya speaks on the triumphs,losses, dignity and courage of the black community. “I know Why The Caged Bird Sings” is filled with many anecdotes that are almost like puzzle pieces that fit together so beautifully that you not only understand her life, you love her life and each and every word speaks to your soul. Maya Angelou is one of very few authors who can write a story so inspirational, powerful and compelling that you build a bond with each character. Allowing you to cry for their hardships and smile at their accomplishments. “I Know Why The Caged Birds Sings” is not only uplifting to the many people in the black community but also, other communities of people who have had many losses and victories in their lives.
Maya Angelous was born on April 2, 1928 in St.Louis, Missouri and was raised in Stamps, Arkansas by her grandmother. As a child Maya loved poetry, reading books and even obtained a scholarship to study dance and drama at San Francisco's Labor School. After giving birth to her first and only child, Guy Johnson, Maya began working as a waitress to support her new baby However, Maya’s love for literature and civil rights changed her path in life and she became a poet,novelist, historian and civil rights activist. Maya has been married three times and won over four award including Presidential Medal of Freedom. “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” is not Maya’s only book. “And Still I Rise”, “Letter to My Daughter” and “Mom & Me & Mom” are just a pea size amount of all the books Maya has written.
“I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” opens with a three year old Maya and her four year old brother, Bailey moving to Arkansas with her grandmother whom she called momma. Maya lives with her grandmother for many years in a primarily black neighborhood. She grows up as a A student who loves reading. After many years of living in Arkansas with her grandmother something that seems normal but is actually a very life changing event happens. Bailey and Maya get a present from their parent who they originally thought were dead. Then one year later Maya’s dad shows up and decided that it is time for Bailey and Maya to live with their mom. Maya’s dad takes them to St.Louis where their mother, Vivian, lives. While there Maya meets her mothers boyfriend Mr.Freeman. Although Maya’s life with her mother was not perfect, she gets used to it but then the unimaginable happens. Mr.Freeman rapes Maya at the tender age of 8. This experience changed Maya in more ways than one and left behind scares that will never be healed. Through out the rest of the book you can see a difference in Maya after the rape.
For people who are sensitive to rape,murder and racism this book might not be the book for you. Maya Angelou goes into explicit details on her rape and how it affected her as a person. Also, there are stories of pretty graphic murders. However, if you can get pass the harshness of these topics, you will love the book. I would recommend this book to anyone, of any age who loves reading poetry or enjoys reading books about the lives of people over fifty years ago. This book has historical and social value. “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” was published in 1969, there is 289 pages in the book and there was even a movie made about the book. However, the movie did not do very well because people felt that it could not deliver the same emotion that the book did. Overall, “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” is a 10 out of 10 stars. The raw emotion in this book is overwhelming and the compelling stories are more than enough to swoop a person off their feet.
Maya Angelou’s Life
For my Creative portion I wanted to make a collage showing different portions of Maya Angelou's life. My pictures on the neon green papers represent Maya’s life when she moved to Arkansas at three years old. Maya lived with her grandmother and her uncle in Stamps, Arkansas where her grandmother ran a store thats customers usually consisted of cotton pickers and lumber workers. At a young age Maya had the importance of education embed in her. Maya grew up loving to read, especially Shakespeare.In the green picture the pictures represent the racism that was present in Arkansas and they also represent her father who lived in California. When Maya was almost 8 years old her dad came and decided she should live with her mother. The orange picture represents Maya in St.Louis with her mother Vivian. Vivian had a boyfriend named Mr.Freeman. Mr.Freeman ended up raping Maya when she was only 8 years old and told her that if she were to tell anybody he would kill her and whomever she told. The darker orange pictures represent Maya being silent for many years. She wouldn’t talk to anybody but her brother and her family in St.Louis decided to send her back to her Grandmother where she meets Mrs.Summers. Mrs.Summers starts Maya’s love for poetry but also, more importantly, gets Maya to speak again. A few years later Maya moved back in with her mother and that summer Maya’s dad says he wants Maya to spend the Summer with him in California. In California with her dad Maya meets his girlfriend Dolores who has an immense hate for Maya. Maya and Dolores gets into a physical fight that results in Maya running away for a month where she stayed with homeless kids in a car lot. The pink paper represents Mayas life when she goes back to live with her mother and her mother's husband Cliedell after running away from her father. Maya thinks she is underdeveloped after seeing many other females her age with more voluptuous bodies. She even believes that she is possibly a lesbian hermaphrodite. In order to lay her fears to rest Maya sleeps with an attractive boy in the neighborhood which end up in an unplanned pregnancy. Maya is able to hid her pregnancy for months but soon decides that because she is due very soon that she should tell her parents. They accept her situation and at the end of the book Maya gives birth to a healthy son named Guy.
Comments
No comments have been posted yet.
Log in to post a comment.