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

This memoir is incredibly important for its time, and Maya Angelou continues to be an important figure in Black history, not only for her clear technical ability in writing, but for her bravery to speak unabashedly about her life as a Black woman in the Jim Crow south. Published during one of the many dangerous peaks of white supremacy, during a time when civil rights activists were being targeted, harassed, and murdered, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings stands out as one of the most important memoirs ever written.

Despite its importance, I found it a bit of a tough read; probably because of the older style of writing that came across at times as disjointed. As a coming-of-age story, it's enjoyable and easy to get through, with plenty of moments of unbelievably beautiful prose that really showcase Maya Angelou's poetic talents.

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library_of_al's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.0

I like the writing and I found a lot of what Angelou was saying relatable in some ways, but I didn’t quite understand the ending. For the whole book I felt like I was waiting for something more, but it never came. I think there might be a second book to this, though I’m not sure. What Angelou had written is very insightful of the Black experience and honestly people should be forced to read this book instead of “To Kill A Mockingbird” because Angelou just captures experiences so much better than Harper Lee ever could.

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jalexpulliamkepler's review against another edition

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challenging slow-paced

4.0

Interesting and often moving but sometimes felt more like a series of essays than a memoir

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torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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