Reviews with content warning for Classism - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

I knew from a while back that I should be engaging with Maya Angelou’s work, and I am so grateful I started with this 🥺 Equal parts beautiful and heart-wrenching, this autobiography is one to read for sure. I bought a copy for my dad, as he had really enjoyed some previous recommendations I had told him about by black authors, and we had some very intense but interesting conversations around Maya’s life (e.g. when Cullinan calls her ‘Mary’ for example) which I appreciated. I cannot wait to pick up more of Maya’s autobiographies and other works ✨

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

4.25

One thing that makes it hard to get through nonfiction is that it is often pure and objective fact, nothing but hard statements and the evidence to back it up, but Angelou writes in a way that doesn't just feel the way a memoir / autobiography would, like someone telling their life story, but in a way that is colorful and bright and fluid like fiction usually is. Well, good fiction at least.

And on a personal note a lot of moments hit a little tew close to home. I'm not gonna list them but not me and Miss Dr Angelou living the same life having the same experiences feeling the same feelings!!! I had to put the book down a couple times and cover my face!!!

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