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

5.0

Angelou writes about herself as if writing fondly about a younger sister. Her outlook on life is at times piercing and acerbic, calling out the racism and inequity she experienced in her youth, and at other times shockingly generous, applying humor to even some of the most horrendous of her experiences. This was certainly a book about hard, difficult things happening to people often because of their skin color or gender, but was also uplifting, funny, hopeful, and realistic. I have never read any of Angelou's poetry before, so I'm not sure if it carries the same tone as her prose (or the same variety of tone I suppose). This book surprised me, and I am looking forward to reading more of her autobiography.