Reading Maya Angelou's autobiography was like sitting down at her kitchen table to have an adult beverage (or two) while listening to her tell me how everything unfolded (much different than my one true encounter with Ms. Angelou when I was a high schooler visiting a small church in Winston-Salem, NC, gawking and loudly whispering at the sight of her right in the middle of the service which led her to turn in her pew and "shhhh" me LOL). I am not sure why I hadn't read this memoir before given that Ms. Angelou is one of my favorite writers (I am especially fond of her poetry).

Ms. Angelou was a strong woman which is not surprising at all to those of us who admired her but, in this memoir, she reveals her vulnerability and her sense of humor. She explores the challenges of being a single mother, her romances, her work as a singer, her involvement in the civil rights movement, and her adventures living abroad. As I am raising a teenaged son now, it was particularly touching to read about her experiences mothering a black son as he grew into a young man. Some of her statements about parenthood definitely resonated with me.

I'm glad I was inspired to read this and I will now look into reading the other installments of her autobiography. I have read "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and this installment, so I believe I now have five more books to go. There are evidently seven autobiographies in all.

Maya done pissed me off with how she handled that trifling Mr. Make, but her writing is always such a joy to read nonetheless.

I have to say, of all of Maya Angelou's biographies I've read so far, this is my least favorite. The pacing felt a bit off and themes changed too abruptly. Still, it's a good book. I loved some parts of it, like the Billie Holiday story, or the time she confronted a white woman who came to watch her play but couldn't bear to think about her actions in the real world. I also loved how she depicted her mysoginistic lovers, and the way she reacts to them. And of course, I'm still shocked by her amazing, extraordinarily adventurous life. I just felt that the sum of the parts wasn't as satisfactory as the parts on their own.

WOW. I have been reading Maya's biography and this book really did it for it. I really showcased what an amazing woman she is. I loved the narrative, it felt so real and raw. The book was laced with a lot of historical moments and that really did it for me.
An amazing read.

I don’t think any review of this transcendent memoir would do it justice. But here are a few things that stood out to me:


Her journey of raising a Black son in a society that does everything in its power to break him down is unfortunately, still so relevant.

Her description of White audiences response to the play “The Blacks” and the message going over their heads reminded me of White people telling me that they’ve seen “Get Out” 5 times and they still think that Rose was somehow the victim

4.5 étoiles. J'en retiens une démonstration de la puissance de l'art, du militantisme et de l'amitié, entre autres. J'ai été touchée à en avoir des frissons plusieurs fois, et j'en garde certaines images très claires. La deuxième partie, celle d'après son mariage, je l'ai trouvée plus difficile à lire parce que je m'ennuyais de sa liberté. J'adore la personne qu'est Maya Angelou, et c'est fascinant d'assister à certains grands moments de l'histoire à travers ses yeux.

Although Maya Angelou has written several autobiographies, it is the first and only one that I have read. Her prose is easy to read, and her varied life experiences, relationships and intimate details kept me interested. Wanting to know more and what comes next, I read this memoir quickly.

I would like to read more about this talented lady, who like a cat, seemed to always land on her feet.

Ok! So where had we got in Maya Angelou's autobiography last time? She'd gone from dancing in a strip club to singing professionally around America. In this book she moves with her son Guy to New York and works for Martin Luther King Jr as a manager.

Then she gets married to an African freedom fighter who's over petitioning the UN, moves to Egypt, the dude can't manage his finances so she gets a job as an associate editor at a newspaper (with no journalistic experience in a country where women don't work).

She moves to Ghana, talks about civil rights and the protest march she organised to Malcolm X when he visits, and ends the story with her son hit by a car with a broken neck, arm and leg.

She's 33 at this point.

Just in case you were wondering how inadequate to feel.

I found the writing a bit too simple and at times harsh. The concept, idea and purpose is very clear but the narrative is very one sided. I have to say this one is very different stylistically from the first autobiography of Maya Angelou

If this isn't the most revealing autobiography I've ever read, it is in the top 5. It's almost as inner-self unmasking as her poetry. That is not necessarily a negative. The book is a great read.

4.5 stars.
A fascinating look into the adult life of Maya Angelou and the many jobs / roles she had. I found her reflections on the civil rights movement in the USA intriguing - many of the people I know of, and admire, and it was interesting to see them through Maya’s eyes. Her relationship / marriage, and it’s inevitable breakdown (because of the impact on Maya and her independence) was thought provoking, especially reflecting on the interface between cultural differences, misogynistic behaviors and the era. Her relationship with her son was described in a raw and vulnerable way. My only criticism would be that this book didn’t feel as linear as her previous books, instead it had many arcs that appeared to me to jump around quite a bit. But the writing remained amazing and I will definitely be reading the next installments in her autobiography.

What a life Maya Angelou had.....