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Classic African American Literature

We read cultural classics and contemporary literature with a focus on books that tell the story of the African, African American, and Indigenous (Native) experience. Nothing is off-limits.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Here is a book as joyous and painful, as mysterious and memorable, as childhood itself. Maya Angelou’s debut memoir captures the longing of lonely children, the brute insult of bigotry, and the wonder of words that can make the world right. Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local "powhitetrash." At eight years old and back at her mother's side in St. Louis, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age--and has to live with the consequences for a lifetime. Years later, in San Francisco, Maya learns that love for herself, the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors ("I met and fell in love with William Shakespeare") will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned.

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304 pages

Average rating: 8.07

380 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

IrenaArt
Mar 28, 2025
10/10 stars
Just finished reading (in translation). Beautiful. Made me want to read her next (authobiografical) book. My whole lif a a white europian I thought that books of afroamericans are not for me since completely alien world to me (though I have watched several movies after afroamerican writers and historical about the afroamericans). I decided to still try to read this book as soemwhere by ocasion I read about it and read that the author describes her having been raped as a child ( I had some kind - though much milder and yet! - of sexual abuse as a child too). The book enchanted me. Maya writes so interestingly! I mean as a writer. And she describes her life so originally... The only thing that made me feel ambiguous was that she pitied her rapist. Maybe - I hope - she will describe her view of him and herself changing in the next book?...
Amber Fifer
Sep 14, 2024
10/10 stars
Profound and heartbreaking.
hideTurtle
Aug 03, 2024
10/10 stars
"Although I had no regrets, I told myself sadly that growing up was not the painless process one would have thought it to be." How lucky are we to get a peek at the life of an extraordinary artist? In the first of a series, Ms. Angelou generously draws back the curtain and invites us in to see her formative years. She does it with such honesty and heart, conjuring vivid images of the people, places and events of her experience. Her writing coaxes emotion, empathy, and commiseration. I smile at her humour. I feel the burden of her trauma. I hang on her every (exquisitely crafted) word. I am in awe of her brilliance. "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul."
CathyMW
Jun 19, 2024
8/10 stars
Beautifully written. So descriptive you are transported to 1930s America seeing life through the eyes of a young black girl.
Jessie Gee
Mar 30, 2024
9/10 stars
Here is a book as joyous and painful, as mysterious and memorable, as childhood itself. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings captures the longing of lonely children, the brute insult of bigotry, and the wonder of words that can make the world right. Maya Angelou’s debut memoir is a modern American classic beloved worldwide. I listed to the audiobook read by the beautiful voice of Maya Angelou. Beautiful and sad

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