I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Maya Angelou - need I say more

Typically I read articles on individuals rather than autobiographies - they seem self promoting and long (to me). This reads more like fiction but gives you the idea of where one of America's finest writers was born from. I have always had high regard for Ms. Angelou. Not being an avid reader in the past, I have resolved myself to a New Years resolution to one book a month. She was January and a wonderful way to start.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

A Review of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Albert Ellis once said, "The art of love.is largely persistence" and in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by critically acclaimed Maya Angelou, persistence is exactly what young Maya intends to keep strong. The completely autobiographical memoir lures the reader in with its depiction of the lives of blacks in the Deep South during the Depression. Within the heart of rural Stamps, Arkansas little Maya and her brother Bailey are prisoners of the tight knit community and all that it brings. Along with their sacrilegious Grandmother, who is constantly in a fit in regards to any lack of obedience, Maya struggles to find her place. On the surface, she plays a character who genuinely enjoys living among her interesting quartet of a family, her Grandmother, her physically disabled Uncle Willie, and her true joy in life, Bailey are all she has in the world until her estranged father arrives to take Maya and Bailey to live with "Mother Dearest." The life of the big city entrances Maya and her imagination. While living with her mother, Maya receives an education, and meets all sorts of different people, one of those people being Mr. Freeman, Maya's mother's boyfriend. When Mr. Freeman takes advantage of eight year old Maya, it becomes clear that the children must be sent back home to their little town of Stamps.
For the rest of Maya's time in Stamps, she encounters all sorts of different types of people; people who will make a great impact in due time, and those who simply play a role in every day fun. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings portrays a great tale of a young girl's battle to suppress the boredom of country life and strive for a greater meaning to her existence while also dealing with the inevitable battles of growing up.
Maya Angelou's writing is flawless and each phrase is master crafted to perfection as she explores the truth of her childhood. "Looking through the years, I marvel that Saturday was my favorite day in the week. What pleasures could have been squeezed between the fanfolds of unending tasks? Children's talent to endure stems from their ignorance of alternatives." (113) The beauty of her words flow together in a magnificent mosaic of phrases and each step in this eloquent autobiography leaves a lingering sense of compassion in the reader's heart. The heart wrenching moments, though distressing, are overshadowed by the little joys Maya always seems to find. The way she confronts the temptations and urges throughout her teenage years are exposed in great detail as she takes little steps to achieve what she considers the "normality" of being a teenage girl.
I truly enjoyed this radiant and joyful story with its realistic balance of pain and pleasure. The reader will be forever mindful of this little girl's journey into adulthood, the quest for love, and the long standing clash with society.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings

The book, "I Know Why the Cage Bird Sings," is a book about this African American girl, Marguerite, who was perfectly fine one day, then the next, never speaks again. She finally speaks when Ms. Flowers helps her speak again; for the first time in almost a year. Something happen to that girl when she was at her rich grandmother's house, that changed her live forever; something happen, that made her never want to speak again, and Mrs. Flowers seems to be the only person that can help her.
Marguerite was a beautiful little girl. Her skin was as rich brown, she was very smart too. Her brother and her was both very close. They were like best friends. Her poor grandmother lived in Arkansas and her rich grandmother lived in Missouri. Margurerite would have to travel back and forth to see both. Her parents also lived in Missouri with her grandmother. Her mom seemed to always have a different man around, and her dad, well her dad was always working.
One day, when Marguerite and her brother was in Missouri visting her grandmother, one of her mom's "boyfriends" came home and was very "touchy" with her. She asked that man, "What do you think your doing?" He replied with, "Let's just play a game." She replied nervously, "I don't think I like this game." He forced her on the couch and sexually abused her. Her mom walks in and she pretends like nothing ever happened. Then when her family in Missouri finds out, they kill the man. Marguerite was so terrified. She blamed the murder on herself, saying that it's all her fault because she opened her mouth. So she said that she will never speak again, so nobody will ever get hurt again. She just wanted to go home to Arkansas.
Finally, when Marguerite and her brother arrived in Arkansas, nobody can seem to get her to speak. She refused. Wouldn't even speak a word in school. Ms. Flowers came in her grandmother, Mrs. Baxter's store and buys a few groceries. She asked if Marguerite and help her carry them home. Marguerite accepted. So they headed to Ms. Flowers house.
Ms. Flowers respected her. She read her a beautiful poem, made her cookies, and gave her some tea. Marguerite felt honored and cared for. She was so happy and delighted, that when Ms. Flowers asked her a question; just one question, Marguerite answered with, "Yes, mam." That was her first word since the accident. Her final words. She believed that Ms. Flowers alteast deserved that.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

A Dramatic Life

The book started out very interesting, but towards the end, I had trouble staying interested. I read this book without having any prior knowledge of Maya Angelou's life, aside from the fact that she was a poet. I was quite surprised by the amount of issues she had to overcome growing up, and am happy that she is out there writing about her experiences and essentially telling people that it's OK to be awkward.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

5 Stars

Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a memoir of the prejudice she faced growing up as a black girl in the South. She writes this “tale of classic proportions” to shine a light on the injustices she faces while growing up. Facing hardship after hardship, Maya is eventually able to conquer the plights in her life through the unorthodox method of maternity. Maya is able to achieve her ambitions by using the strength gained from her experiences. With a few hundred pages Maya makes the spiritual, emotional, and physical transition from a naïve young girl to a mature young woman. By sharing her experiences with the world, Maya shines a light on the injustices she faces growing up. The author uses her own thoughts and ideas to tell the story instead of relaying events. "If you ask a Negro where he's been, he'll tell you where he's going" (Chapter 25). She gives her take on the proceedings that are taking place around her. The outcome is a wonderfully written story from the innocent perspective of a child. Maya’s relationship with her brother often puzzled me. The most popular boy sticking up for his younger sister? To me that seemed like an illogical exception to a classic stereotype. However Maya’s entire life has been about defying the odds, so it only makes sense that her relationship with her brother would be too. I found the love and compassion shared between them was unequal to anything I had experienced before. They shared everything with each other, their secrets, feelings, and lives. I believe Maya’s brother was her rock that supported her through her life. His confidence in her allowed her to pursue the dreams she had never thought to accomplish. I was touched and inspired by the ending of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. With Maya entering motherhood, she is unsure of her abilities to care for her baby. She is afraid for the wellbeing of her child. Her mother’s confidence in her helps her to realize her abilities. "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." In my opinion this is a perfect way to conclude her story, Maya Angelou is a phenomenal writer who

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Wonderful.

Worth th read. I love her books

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I recommend

I enjoy reading about other's lives. What is your story? I felt so sorry for Maya and all that she has gone through in her life, especially the childhood years. There is no answer for racisim. Why do people do that? I just do not understand and this book gives you an insight from Maya's side of the story. God has truly blessed Maya and she is very worthy of all of his gracious Blessings.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A non-religious miracle

I laughed, I cried, I moaned, I gasped over and over again. Having grown up during the civil rights movement, I knew some of the struggles that African-American women faced during the early 20th century, but I was absolutely shocked by the degradation, abuse, ignorance, and pain that Maya Angelou had to overcome in her teens. She tells the story beautifully, and she does overcome, but, from my point of view, her spiritual survival is nothing less than a miracle.

Highly recommended

I loved this book and the next three installments -- they are well written, honest, and strong. Ms. Angelou shows her great talent and her patience, persistence and strong determination to make something of her life - and in light of her childhood experiences - it is inspiring. I was not so enamored with Traveling Shoes - the story of her experiences in Africa. I felt that this last book lost the flavor of hope and inspiration and spent a great deal of time whining about lack of acceptance. To go to another country and expect that they are going to welcome you with open arms no matter what the circumstances is just plain unrealistic. Anyway - again I recommend the first four books highly and the last book not at all.

Awesome

Her tribute to her life is amazing i love it

a must read

a good read shows the spirit of following true even do evryone one is telling you shold be jus what your suipose to be i found it motivitating how she endure afther all she when true jus did not like the ending did nopt feel it was and ending but overall a good read

Fantastic and inspiring read.

I had this book on my reading list for several years. I wish I would have read it sooner. Beautifully written while providing a vivid historical account of an America we have left behind but will never forget.

Makes Readers Believe in Themselves- Recommended.

I personally thought Maya Angelou’s first autobiography of the series was great, definitely worth three stars. I believe that Maya really did achieve all of her goals throughout her book; she thought back and told the truth about everything she went through, no matter how disturbing the facts were. Maya writes in a very descriptive way that helps you see things clearly in your mind.

I feel the book is clearly written, but you first have to understand how Maya’s writing works. Often the author jumps back and forth in the story, making it harder to comprehend completely. In other words, Angelou doesn’t go in chronological order so you have to keep track of a lot of information in the book. I found it hard to keep some topics straight, so I found myself re-reading many sections. Also, she writes in a neutral tone that is sometimes hard to see her first reactions to the events that occur. As I got comfortable to Angelou’s writing, I could understand her thoughts more clearly.

In the book’s final pages, Angelou leaves us off with a cliffhanger. Maya finally has her baby, but that is really all we know. I see this in both a good and bad way. She leaves the readers to make the most crucial decision of all; do you, the reader, think she will be able to care for a baby at age 16? Suddenly, the book ends with a feeling that it’s missing something big. Throughout the story, the readers have been able to learn everything about Maya but when the baby comes we are left with unanswered questions. The readers are left to make a hard decision. There are a lot of negative factors to a teen pregnancy, but there but also up-sides to ponder about too.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is focused on a young girl being raped and her life after that awful experience, segregation, and racism. The readers are able to see many more topics throughout the story, but I thought that these topics were definitely the most reoccurring. This story is not only retelling Maya Angelou’s early life but sends out important messages that are still relatable today. After being hurt multiple times, Maya knows that you have to do what you believe is right. It also tells us that no one is perfect; life is actually about making mistakes. Maya overcomes all her problematic situations and begins to live her new life guilt-free. She realizes that sometimes believing in yourself is better than anything else, which is an excellent message to send out to readers. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is an inspiring read that I would recommend to anyone.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Maya'a Trial and Triumph

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou is a touching story that reaches all ages. This story should be read because it stirs the hearts of those that have never been victims of struggle, and strengthens the hearts of those that have overcome lifelong battles of pain.

I believe Maya’s life is a heartbreaking story with a message about conquering her weaknesses that ends in Maya finding strength and self confidence in herself. Everyone can learn from this message of hope. At times, this inspiring story brought tears to my eyes. Other times, it made me angry and unhappy. In every situation I’d feel what I think Maya wanted me to feel. This story is one that I’d read again if I’m ever feeling like I can’t take anymore of life’s challenges. I’d also suggest this story to any young adult coming of age, especially ones that enjoy inspiration and emotionally complicated stories.

I think Maya’s purpose for writing this story is to encourage others to overcome themselves and their trials. You must read this story, not only for enjoyment, but hope and motivation. Read it so you can have a reason to not let challenges ruin you but make you better for experiencing them, just as Maya did.

A Complex Childhood

Everyone has their own story. The novel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou is a memoir about the author’s childhood. Maya doesn’t specifically address one issue in her book, but instead explains the many events and people that created the chaos of her childhood. This reader gives the book three stars. Maya Angelou’s memoir is a complex reflection on all the things from her childhood that made her who she is today.
The book starts out with young Maya Angelou living in Stamps, Arkansas with her Grandmother and brother. One summer, she and her brother go to visit with their mother, but return to Stamps after eight-year-old Maya is raped by their mother’s boyfriend. He is then killed by an angry group of townspeople. Maya is scarred and changed forever by the event. She returns to the small town and is silent for quite a while, speaking only to her brother. Eventually, she must grow up and return to the world. She and her brother move back in with their mother and slowly grow apart from one another. Maya deals with many complex and frustrating things in her life, such as the struggle to find a job, driving her drunken father home from Mexico, living in an abandoned car for a few months, and a teenage pregnancy. Her life was not easy by any means, but she learns a lot from it.
At times, the book feels almost too complex. Miss Angelou’s vocabulary and presentation of words is extremely etiquette and refined, and occasionally difficult to understand. This would certainly not be a book recommended for children because of the content, and the advanced structure of the book. Maya may or may not have achieved her goals in her writing, the reader does not know. She never made her goals for the book very clear. The entire memoir is a collection of many different topics.
One of the most common motifs in the novel is the issue of racism. The competition between whites and blacks, the rude and intolerable comments she heard, and the sideways glances she caught. Many times, Maya dealt with racism as just another annoying part of life; like bee stings or paper cuts. Not until she grew older did she realize how serious and wrong it was.
Maya leaves a great deal of things out of the book. We never figure out what happened to her real father, or if her brother ever visited again. She ends the book at the time when she is sixteen, which really isn’t much of her life.
In conclusion, the book is a lot to take in. There are many themes and messages and ideas that Maya Angelou wants readers to absorb. If someone is looking for a thought provoking, deep meaning book, I would absolutely recommend this one.

Fairly good book- recommended.

It is very inspiring to read a story filled with great triumphs over tough struggles. Maya Angelou confronts and overcomes racism, rape, poverty, sexuality, and teen pregnancy.

The one problem with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is the structure and organization. Angelou jumps right into her storytelling, retelling her memories in a hard-to-follow chronological order. There is a new story every chapter. This can be confusing for the reader. It is very hard to begin, but by the end of the book there is a sense of wholeness and satisfaction. The reader realizes that without knowing it, they have developed a longing to see Maya succeed.

This novel is a roller coaster of emotions. It brings the reader from the darkest moments of Maya Angelou’s life to a time where she takes control of her own destiny. However, it is hard to follow at times. The reader can become lost in the sudden jump between events. Nonetheless, Maya Angelou’s heart and soul are revealed as she ventures back to her “lost years”. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is an inspiring and highly recommended novel that can lift anyone’s spirits.

Must Read

This is the classic that will always be relevant for it is born of suffering which is signiture of the human condition.

Love the work and the woman.

The Definitive Autobiography

With books out there like, "P.U.S.H." its hard to believe that in its day, "Caged Bird" was banned for Angelou's descriptive account of her childhood molestation. Nonetheless, every author who writes an autobiography should aspire to be THIS GOOD. I read the book as an assignment in Freshman English 101, but it definitely made me want to continue on to her next installment ("Gather Together in My Name"), even though is wasn't required for the class!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Power and Strength Do Not Come Easy

Maya Angelou writes her life story in the book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, expressing through stories of her childhood how she was shaped into the strong young adult version of herself at the end of the story. I liked how the in the beginning of the story she starts off with an uncomfortable situation she dealt with at church and how this showed her insecurities as a child. Maya explains how the time period and the environment she lives in was a daily struggle for the social discrimination against African Americans. Also as siblings, Maya and her older brother Bailey always had it tough, dealing with the separation of their parents because they sent them to Arkansas when they were very young and their parents lived in California, their mother in San Francisco and their father in Los Angeles. One of my favorite scenes from the book was when the children received Christmas presents from their parents that brought a lot of confusion and upset to them. Maya goes out to the backyard to be alone to sort out her feelings which is described well through imagery. Bailey comes out to the place where Maya has been crying and tries to be the older, manly figure by sniffling instead of losing it all where she cries and cries. I thought it showed a beautiful connection between the siblings and what they have been through and the uncertainties of their future. People would like this book because it¿s constantly interesting; her stories bring adventure, like her trip to Mexico with her father where she drives down a mountain with her father asleep in the backseat. Her stories also bring a lot of emotion for example when she leaves her dad¿s house and lives in a car for a month before coming back to her mother. Even though those times were tough for her, she explains without those types of experiences she wouldn¿t have matured the way she did and she wouldn¿t have learned the most important things in life. She believes the people in someone¿s life who give the same effort of love and appreciation as that person gives them are the ones to keep close to their heart.

Highly Recommended - A Must Read!!!

Loved the book, it is definately a book that everyone should experience in their life.