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A review by jdcrouse
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
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