Book #7 read for Black History Month 2024

This is the second to last of Dr. Angelou's autobiographies. It is a straightforward and broken-hearted account of her return from Ghana after learning of the assassination of her dear friend, Malcolm X. The narrative weaves through different times and settings, from Africa to her brother Bailey's home in Hawaii, then back to California, New York City, and again to California. Angelou writes about how she became a chronicler of the Civil Rights Movement in the turbulent 1960s.

First, she witnesses the racial unrest and violence in the Watts neighborhood of Southeast Los Angeles, among its black inhabitants and their difficult interactions with the police. Then, she moves back to New York where she discovers the assassination of Dr. King in 1968.

Devastated by the loss of both Dr. King and Malcolm X to violence, it is her friendship with the immortal James Baldwin that inspires her to write about her own voice. It is because of her dear Jimmy that she becomes part of American literary history, and the rest, as we all know, is through "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."

Dr. Angelou's book is filled with the all-consuming love she has for her family and friends. It is through their encouragement and care that she becomes the immortal legend she is. Like her "sister" writer-friend, Toni Morrison, both women's love for James Baldwin shaped their ideas about the world and what family means.

It's a loving and tender tribute that I hope, along with her other memoirs and poetry collections, will be recognized by both readers and politicians for what they truly are - books that establish a woman's love for her community, family, and country, not books meant to be political and used to tear down anyone.

Another fantastic read by our queen. She has once again managed to captivate her readers with her brilliant writing skills. The story is filled with excitement, adventure, and a touch of mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Her characters are so well-developed that you feel like you know them personally. The plot is engaging and full of twists and turns that you never see coming. It's no wonder that she is considered one of the best authors in the business. This book is a must-read for anyone who loves a good story. Whether you're a fan of romance, action, or mystery, there's something in this book for everyone. So, grab a copy and get ready to be taken on an unforgettable journey.

**Title: An Interesting Article**

Original Article: This is an interesting story. It tells about a boy who has a unique adventure.

Expanded Article: This is an extremely interesting story that truly captivates the reader's attention. It vividly tells about a curious and adventurous boy who embarks on a one-of-a-kind adventure. The boy's journey is filled with excitement, challenges, and unexpected twists. As he explores new places and meets different people, he discovers things about himself and the world around him that he never thought possible. The story is full of details that bring the boy's adventure to life, making it a truly engaging read.

As readers, it is quite easy to fall into the trap of reading only specific genres.

For me, being a gay white man, I have a tendency to gravitate towards fiction that features gay white men. However, we must remember that books serve not only as a means of escapism but also as a source of education.

That is why every February, I make it a point to read something related to African-American culture. Over the past 5 years, I have delved into the autobiographies of Maya Angelou. This February has been a bittersweet experience as I have completed her 6th book, and I am aware that she is no longer here to entertain and enlighten me with her powerful words.

"A Song Flung Up To Heaven" is truly an amazing book. It begins with Maya leaving Africa to return to the States to assist Malcolm X, only to discover that he has been assassinated. It concludes with Maya Angelou agreeing to help Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but then learning of his assassination. These two events frame a period in Maya Angelou's life when she was about to turn 40 and found herself adrift, having to start over.

I found solace in the fact that the great Maya Angelou once faced the same issues that I am currently dealing with. She describes it perfectly when she writes, "I was in a labyrinth, going somewhere without knowing my destination or even when I might arrive." The book ends on a hopeful note as Maya Angelou sits down to pen the first sentence of "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings."

It is indeed a brilliant book by an extraordinary lady.

This book holds great significance and enjoyment for those who have read all her previous autobiographies in the series. It's truly astounding to learn that she was on the verge of working for Malcolm X and then Martin Luther King, Jr. before their untimely deaths. What I appreciate is that it serves as a social commentary, being brutally honest without leaving the reader completely despondent and without hope.

I simply had to share this quote. She is描绘了一个位于洛杉矶附近名为瓦茨的黑人下层社区在1965年的情况。当我读到她的这些段落时，我感到震惊，因为这听起来就像是在描述我们国家2010年的一些地区！最可怕的是，她书中接下来的内容，当然就是1965年的瓦茨骚乱。尽管它是由种族紧张局势引发的，但从我在其他资料中读到的内容来看，其核心是警察的暴行。一个强大的人与一个无力的人在一场不公平的斗争中对抗，这种无力感引发了愤怒。随着我们国家贫富差距的不断扩大，我能看到人们变得愤怒并让历史重演的危险。

“……我发现了勤劳的女性和善于思考的女性。间接地，我遇到了她们的男人，他们的工作已经消失，他们发现自己无法在自己的家中养家糊口。

“一些男人因为自己的无力而感到尴尬，变得好斗，他们妻子的身体显示出了他们愤怒的程度。一些人，感到徒劳无益，无用，离开了家，离开了他们在每张脸上都读到失望、在每个声音中都听到羞耻的地方。一些人喝酒直到他们陷入昏迷状态，在那里他们看不见、听不到，当然也无法思考。

“从表面上看，瓦茨仍然看起来像是一个美丽的美国梦，宽阔的大道，整洁的草坪，漂亮的平房。这些因素都是事实，但总是有一个比可见的更深层次的真相。

“没有工作和稳定的薪水，人们无法展望明天。男人和女人们，对自己和彼此感到愤怒，开始抛弃孩子。他们不是把孩子放在门口的篮子里，而是把他们留在家里。一起吃晚餐的次数变得越来越少，因为父亲很少在那里，母亲则忙着回顾自己哪里出了错，或者打扮得漂漂亮亮地再次施展自己的魅力。

“那些失去了管教、没有关心他们的父母稳定陪伴的无依无靠的孩子们，开始像小老虎一样在街上奔跑。首先，他们的需求驱使他们走向像他们自己一样的人，和他们一起组成一个家庭。然后，他们的愤怒使新组建的家庭变得危险。一群群被抛弃的孩子在瓦茨的人行道上横行霸道，一天比一天更胆大妄为、更愤怒。

“他们以创纪录的数量离开学校。学校能给他们提供什么有用的东西呢？教育，这样他们就能找到工作？但是他们的父母曾经有过工作，却被夺走了。他们的父母曾经相信这个制度，看看他们现在的样子吧？他们曾经是那样的人，现在却成了空洞、冷漠的躯壳。不。学校什么都没有承诺，除了一个失去他们刚刚组建且迫切需要的家庭的机会。”

I read the final four books in her set of six (one more was published later, but these came as a boxed set for me) consecutively in the summer of 2020.

It was an immersive experience. Written as one review on my blog (rawlesreads.blogspot.com), so my apologies if it seems a bit disjointed!

In 1964, Maya has returned to the US. However, her plans shift like sand in front of her for the first few years.

The emotions are running high in the US over racial inequality. This one seems a little like a footnote, and she kind of skims over a lot for the four years she covers in this slim edition.

Nevertheless, I do recommend reading the entire series, even if, like the author herself, it takes you a few years between books to finish.

What a fascinating life she has led, and these are all before she truly begins to write.

This one ends with her beginning "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", so it's a nice little circle back.

I have never read her poetry; maybe in a few years I will come back to that!!!

Overall, this set of books provides a unique perspective on Maya's life and the times she lived in.

Citaat : Ossie said simply with joy and awe in his voice: ’Ladies and gentlemen, the honorable doctor Martin Luther King.’

And there he was, smiling, nodding, waving, an ordinary black man of average height and with an average appearance, who carried the dreams of millions on his shoulders.

Review : Maya Angelou became world-famous through the autobiographical I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. A Song Flung Up to Heaven, now the fifth part of her autobiography, is extremely fascinating in that it gives us a very emotional account of the murders of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King jr. People whom she knew very closely and who were dear to her heart.

In A Song Flung Up to Heaven, we find Maya Angelou back as a very honest woman who loves life and wants to enjoy it. She wants to do what she wants, cry when she wants, love when she wants and rise up against anyone who finds those things as privileges for a white community.

A Song Flung Up to Heaven is a warm book that gives the reader an extremely well-written guide to understand why caged birds sing.

This review highlights the significance of Maya Angelou's work. Her autobiographies not only tell her personal story but also shed light on important historical events and social issues. A Song Flung Up to Heaven is a powerful testament to her courage, honesty, and love for life. It is a must-read for anyone interested in African American history, literature, or simply a good story.

“Sister, change everything you don’t like about your life. But when you come to a thing you can’t change, then change the way you think about it. You’ll see it new, and maybe a new way to change it.” This powerful advice is just one of the many gems found in ‘A Song Flung Up to Heaven’, the sixth and final volume of Maya Angelou’s six-part autobiography. Covering the years 1964 - 1968, it is a deeply emotional account of strength, growth, and realization. We witness Maya step into her power and understand how all her past experiences led to this beautiful moment of self-reckoning.

The novel begins with Angelou’s return to the US after years in Ghana, seeking her identity and a sense of belonging. She comes back to help her friend Malcolm X create the African American Unity, but tragically, he is assassinated just two days after her arrival. What’s remarkable is how we, as readers, grieve with Maya. We feel her anger as the world seems to move on and those Malcolm was fighting for are involved in his murder. This part is crucial as it shows the closeness between Maya and Malcolm, an influential figure in black history. The book also takes us on a journey of loss with the death of Martin Luther King.

Angelou’s words, journey, and story are truly inspiring, especially for black women. The adversity she faced and overcame is empowering. Amidst so many powerful men in history, she remained a strong woman with a powerful voice. What’s clever is that she stops her autobiography before her journey to fame. From her first novel to her last, we see Maya find herself and stand confidently in her rightful place. I am honored to have read about such a remarkable woman. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an inspiring and thought-provoking read.

It is always such a beautiful experience to read Maya Angelou's works.

Her narration is always so introspective, especially about human nature. She considers all the relationships in her life in such a wise way, like empathizing with everyone's motives and being able to understand their point of view. This special trait was also present in "I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing", through her thoughts as a young girl. She's a very insightful person, able to read people - and in a greater sense read the situations of people.

She contributed to movements in Africa. Even without being present in New York alongside Malcolm X, she understood the importance of him and the movement he was trying to foster with her help. When she went door-to-door canvassing, she spoke with and sympathized deeply with the black women in LA. It was interesting how she started and ended the book on similar notes - Malcolm X's fate and bond with Angelou, and how it abruptly was cut off, then mirrored with MLK, the planned Poor People's March and his assassination.

She was there at the Watt riots, and spoke wisely about the people's motives, and explained in simple terms, the societal situation that gave way to Los Angeles in the latter part of the 20th century. Deindustrialization, lack of jobs, high unemployment breaks apart family structure and male gender roles, broken family structure leads to children turning to gangs of each other for support and a purpose in their empty environment.

I loved reading about the pieces she created and contributed to. She obviously did a lot of work that contributed to the literary and cultural scenes of African Americans, even alongside and overlapping with her activism. Going back to her people relationships, it's really important how Dolly and her befriended each other, and were united in their confrontation of the man who was cheating on them. That's an important lesson in solidarity between women. Reading about her friendship with James Baldwin was so sweet, truly two icons.

I realized this is the final book in a series of Maya Angelou's autobiographies, and I've only read the "I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing". The other books weren't at my library, so I'll have to go back to those, and read her life events that built up to the events of this book.

I look forward to delving deeper into her life and works, as I'm sure there are many more fascinating stories and insights to discover.

I listened intently as Maya read this book.

She vividly recounted her deep friendships with MLK, the profound impact of his death, and her special bond with James Baldwin.

She was there during the Watt’s Riots in Los Angeles in the 60s. In a remarkable turn of events, she actually returned to the riots and, mysteriously, seemed invisible.

She reached a point where she was convinced to pen her autobiography.

I don't know how I've managed to go this long without reading or knowing much about Maya Angelou. But as I listened, I could picture her clearly and felt a connection as if she were a great friend.

Her writing was so exquisitely descriptive that I often had to pause and jot down the way she would describe something.

When her son Guy was in a car accident, she felt an overwhelming sense of guilt, even though she wasn't present at the scene.

Maya lived a life full of adventure and traveled with curiosity and love wherever she went.

She was a strong woman who didn't tolerate any nonsense.

What a truly fabulous and inspiring woman she was!

Gospel, blues, and love songs often suggest that birthing is hard, dying is difficult and there isn't much ease in between.

  Gospel, blues, and love songs often suggest that birthing is hard, dying is difficult and there isn't much ease in between.

After thoroughly enjoying I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, I was certain that this book would be another outstanding success. However, unfortunately, it wasn't. I have great love and respect for Maya and all that she stood for. But the narrative in this autobiography was rather lackluster and, to be honest, a bit boring. I found myself skimming more frequently than I desired. Instead of the expected tales of her adventures and her struggles for equal treatment, I was presented with countless stories of dinner parties and the name-dropping of celebrities she befriended. If you're simply looking to learn about Maya's life in general, I would recommend this book. But if you're seeking the reasons why she became the remarkable woman she was, it would be advisable to grab Caged Bird first.

In this remarkable book, Maya delves deep into her journey as she returns to America from Africa.

She candidly shares her experiences and relationships, not only with her son Guy but also with the vibrant community of Harlem, as well as the influential figures of Malcom X and Martin Luther King.

By opening her heart, she offers the reader an intimate and personal perspective on how the civil rights movement had a profound impact on her life.

When one reads Maya's words, there is a sense of tranquility and comfort that washes over. Her writing has a soothing quality that can calm the soul.

This is truly a wonderful book that serves as an anchor, helping you stay grounded in the chaos of life, relax your mind, and unwind from the stresses of the day.

I wholeheartedly recommend this inspiring and encouraging book about American life. It is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the human experience and the power of the written word.