I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou; narrated by author | 2011; originally published 1969 | Random House | Audiobook $ 16.99

Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local “powhitetrash.” At eight years old and back at her mother’s side in St. Louis, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age — and has to live with the consequences for a lifetime. Years later, in San Francisco, Maya learns that love for herself, the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned.

This work is considered a classic in the genre of memoirs and autobiographies, and is also one of the most frequently banned and challenged books in America. You know it absolutely had to go on my to-read list for Classics Club.

This memoir, the first of several in an autobiographical series, explores the life of the author as a child and teenager. Maya Angelou spent the earliest years of her childhood in her grandmother’s home in a small town in Arkansas. She and her brother were sent to live with their mother in St. Louis, Missouri; after a traumatic experience there, the children returned to their grandmother’s home. Later, as a teen, Maya Angelou and her brother moved in with their mother once again, this time in California. That is where she would also spend some time with her father, then eventually get a job as a streetcar conductor and become a mother herself.

That short summary really does not do justice to the wild ride that was the author’s childhood. Her experiences growing up were chaotic, poignant, and at times downright grim… but also sometimes quite wholesome, inspiring, and overall beautifully described.

I especially enjoyed listening to the audio version as narrated by the author herself. That’s truly something special among audiobooks! 

This is the sort of book that sticks with you even long after you’re done reading it. If you have room in your reading life for a memoir and haven’t picked this one up yet, I highly recommend that you put it on your list.

Links:

• Dr. Maya Angelou Foundation
• Biography from the National Women’s History Museum
• Obituary from Wake Forest University
• Resources on Dr. Maya Angelou from Wake Forest University Z. Smith Reynolds Library Special Collections and Archives

Publication information: Angelou, Maya. I know why the caged bird sings. New York, NY: Random House Audio, 2011. Audiobook.
Source: Public library, via Overdrive/Libby.
Disclaimer: I am not compensated, monetarily or otherwise, for reviews of books or other products.