I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings: The internationally bestselling classic
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By Dr Maya Angelou
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3 reviews
A beautiful new edition of I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS, the iconic, beloved and deeply moving first volume of Maya Angelou’s autobiography.
‘The international classic and bestseller, Maya Angelou’s memoir paints a portrait of ‘a brilliant writer, a fierce friend and a truly phenomenal woman’ BARACK OBAMA
‘One of my favourites’ TINA KNOWLES
‘I write about being a Black American woman, however, I am always talking about what it’s like to be a human being. This is how we are, what makes us laugh, and this is how we fall and how we somehow, amazingly, stand up again’ Maya Angelou
In this first volume of her seven books of autobiography, Maya Angelou beautifully evokes her childhood with her grandmother in the American south of the 1930s. Loving the world, she also knows its cruelty. As a Black woman she has known discrimination, violence and extreme poverty, but also hope, joy, achievement and celebration.
‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings liberates the reader into life simply because Maya Angelou confronts her own life with such a moving wonder, such a luminous dignity’ JAMES BALDWIN
‘She moved through the world with unshakeable calm, confidence and a fierce grace . . . She will always be the rainbow in my clouds’ OPRAH WINFREY
‘She was important in so many ways. She launched African American women writing in the United States. She was a real original. There is no duplicate’ TONI MORRISON
‘Heartbreaking, beautiful and inspiring in equal measure . . . a landmark work of literature’ TELEGRAPH
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This is the second time that I have read Maya Angelou’s autobiography, the first being was when it was a set text as part of my A'Level English course. Reading it for the second time, I found it a more enjoyable read and perhaps less shocking. Dealing with strong social themes was sadly a huge part of Maya's childhood, yet she writes about it in such an eloquent manner. I would highly recommend everyone to read this book at least once in their lifetime!
I don’t know why I’ve put off reading this book for so long. It was a beautiful and challenging read. I enjoyed the window into another time and experience. I’m looking forward to reading the remaining books in the series.
An unapologetically honest memoir that paints a vivid picture of the author's childhood. Beautifully written, devastating in places but ultimately hopeful.
