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atuin's review against another edition
reflective
5.0
A beutifuly written memoir about growing up during the 30's and 40's. I'm glad I listened to the audio version, as one of the events in the novel is Maya Angelou learning that speaking text gives it more life than just reading. All of the people she writes about are so well written they seem to jump out of the recording. As a memoir, it goes through different moments of her life that she remembers, some funny, some terribly sad, but all are interesting and paint a picture of a fascinating and well lived life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Racism
Moderate: Domestic abuse
michealasharp's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
tomleetang's review against another edition
3.0
nteresting, but not moving. In all honesty I thought it was hampered by the fact it was autobiographical. If it had been mildly fictionalised I think it could have said more and meant more. As it is, I finished it thinking, what a fascinating, often devastating life - not sure it's as penetrating as other novels on a similar theme though...
reading_to_the_birds's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
jdcrouse's review against another edition
5.0
"See, you don't have to think about doing the right thing. If you're for the right thing, then you do it without thinking"
Maya Angelou has always felt significant to me. She lived three miles from me my entire life up until her death. I never saw her speak or read much of her work during those years, but people spoke of her often as if she was just the nice lady down the street who also happened to be a global icon. She was this world-renowned, groundbreaking author but she was also just another neighbor and I held a lot of fondness for her because of that.
I have read some of her poetry but this was the first book of hers-- I had no idea what to expect and even then my expectations were still blown out of the water.
This story reminded me of why I love the South. her ability to so eloquently capture the sense of community, unwavering care for family and neighbors, and the strength and resilience shown by not just Southerners but Black Southerners for centuries past left me feeling so....Warm? This wasn't a feel-good tale, it was rife with stress and struggle and hurt and lessons rooted in the suffering of Black Americans, but she was able to tell real people’s stories while also spinning lessons throughout and just telling a damn good story. she makes me proud to be from winston, that's for sure
Maya Angelou has always felt significant to me. She lived three miles from me my entire life up until her death. I never saw her speak or read much of her work during those years, but people spoke of her often as if she was just the nice lady down the street who also happened to be a global icon. She was this world-renowned, groundbreaking author but she was also just another neighbor and I held a lot of fondness for her because of that.
I have read some of her poetry but this was the first book of hers-- I had no idea what to expect and even then my expectations were still blown out of the water.
This story reminded me of why I love the South. her ability to so eloquently capture the sense of community, unwavering care for family and neighbors, and the strength and resilience shown by not just Southerners but Black Southerners for centuries past left me feeling so....Warm? This wasn't a feel-good tale, it was rife with stress and struggle and hurt and lessons rooted in the suffering of Black Americans, but she was able to tell real people’s stories while also spinning lessons throughout and just telling a damn good story. she makes me proud to be from winston, that's for sure