This is the 1969 autobiography about the early years of African-American writer and poet Maya Angelou. The first in a seven-volume series, it is a coming-of-age* story that shows how strength of character and a love of literature* can help overcome racism* and trauma*.
Sent to live with her grandmother at an early age, Angelou learned a great deal from this special woman and the friendly Black community* there.
These lessons carried her through the hardships she faced later in life, including a terrible experience that happened while she visited her mother in St. Louis and the years spent in California. In California, an unwanted pregnancy* changed her life forever.
In a poetic way, Angelou tells of her struggles growing up as a Black female during the Depression*.
Neglected* by their divorced* parents, Angelou and her brother were sent to Arkansas at ages 3 and 5 to live with their grandma and handicapped* uncle. You feel deeply for the author and her little brother as they drifted* through their lives eager for a bit of affection*.
Angelou and her brother are finally united with “Mother Dear” in St. Louis when she was 8. Unfortunately her mother’s boyfriend began to abuse* Angelou. The girl’s feelings of not belonging* and not being truly loved are compounded* after the abuse.
The book is a modern American classic. Angelou’s prose is direct and personal, marked with passages of wit* and beauty.
(SD-Agencies)
|