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From the Trade Paperback edition.
This is the fifth volume in Maya Angelou's successful autobiography.
Angelou was among the first, if not the first, to create a literary franchise based on autobiographical writings. In the series' six titles -- beginning with the classic I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and followed by Gather Together in My Name, Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas, Heart of a Woman, All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes, and 2002's A Song Flung Up to Heaven -- Angelou tells her story in language both no-nonsense and intensely spiritual.
Angelou's facility with language, both on paper and as a suede-voiced speaker, have made her a populist poet. Her 1995 poem "Phenomenal Woman" is still passed along the Web among women as inspiration ("It's in the reach of my arms/The span of my hips/The stride of my steps/The curl of my lips./I'm a woman/Phenomenally/Phenomenal woman/That's me"), and her 1993 poem "On the Pulse of the Morning," written for Bill Clinton's presidential inauguration, was later released as a Grammy-winning album.
Angelou often cites other writers (from Kenzaburo Oe to James Baldwin) both in text and name. But as often as not, her major mentors were not writers – she had been set to work with Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. before each was assassinated, stories she recounts in A Song Flung Up to Heaven.
Given her rollercoaster existence -- from poverty in Arkansas to journalism in Egypt and Ghana and ultimately, to her destiny as a successful writer and professor in the States – it's no surprise that Angelou hasn't limited herself to one or two genres. Angelou has also written for stage and screen, acted, and directed. She is the rare author from whom inspiration can be derived both from her approach to life as from her talent in writing about it. Reading her books is like taking counsel from your wisest, favorite aunt.
Angelou speaks six languages, including West African Fanti.
She taught modern dance at the Rome Opera House and the Hambina Theatre in Tel Aviv.
Before she became famous as a writer, Maya Angelou was a singer. Miss Calypso is a CD of her singing calypso songs.
mc76NYC
Posted October 31, 2010
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I think that this is, perhaps, one of Maya Angelou's most underrated books. I enjoyed it very much. Angelou has a nice writing style that drew me into her story about trying to get in touch with her identity and culture.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 5, 2013
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Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.sparrow65
Posted April 13, 2012
I absolutely loved the other books in this series - they were honest, courageous, insightful, and inspiring. This book - I quit in the middle -- I found to be depressingly short sighted and I really got tired of the whining. To go to another country and expect somehow to be treated like royalty because of the past sins of past generations is simply naive and wrong. It would be like me going back to Ireland and expecting the people there to open their arms and treat me like family - - after several generations of America.
Unlike the other books where Ms. Angelou was able to conquer prejudice and hatred with humor and a determination to succeed - in this book it seems she has nothing much good to say or positive to contribute. I was very disappointed and the read was drearily boring.
Babawabaa
Posted October 8, 2011
I didn't want this story to end. I love Maya Angelou.
This was my very first "nook" book. Nice.
Anonymous
Posted August 8, 2011
I finished this book in less than 24hours. I couldn't put it down
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 31, 2008
this book portrays a story about maya journey to the soul .... this book is the most beatiful thing i have ever read ....it made me cry
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 2, 2005
This novel was written by Maya Angelou in 1986. It is very personal and invites you to see how things were through her eyes. ¿Angelou¿s journey into Africa is a journey into herself, into that part of every Afro-American¿s soul that is still wedded to Africa, that still yearns for a home.¿ (Chicago Tribune Book World). Maya Angelou uses this novel to explore the many things that she¿s comprised of. A big part of that is being African American. She does through a very metrical aspect of writing. The writing style she uses is amazing. This woman can work a pen and lets it be known. First and foremost she is known as a poet, but you can clearly see musicianship. Adding to that she is a performer. All of this can be drawn from this literary piece. It uniquely flows to stir the imagination of the reader. ¿The drums beckoned, the kings appeared, and the air nearly collapsed under the weight of dust and thudding drums and shouting jubilation.¿ (Page 60). In this statement alone you can picture many things. It sets an intense mood in which a reader tends to be drawn into. This is only one sentence from the novel, with no word of a doubt, showing there is much much more. Several novels look like they might match up just because of it¿s title. That¿s the first thing that either makes or breaks the way it is received by the public. The title All God¿s Children Need Traveling Shoes is received by the public in several ways. It may seem like a testimonial piece in which the writer professes they¿re faithfulness to God. Both parts of the spectrum would want to read it. Christians because of the sacredness of it. Atheists and other religions to oppose it. In all honesty that is not the case with this title. The title itself is Maya Angelou¿s statement of herself. Her works before this did not relay to the spiritual aspect of herself. For those who love her work, it entices them into reading the work just to get a better understanding of who Maya is. She is such an extraordinary person who puts herself in her writing. The great aspect of this novel is that it is endless.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 24, 2004
'All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes' by Maya Angelou is an outstanding book.If you are the type of person who likes to read about culture and heritage, you will like this book.The story tells about Maya's joining of a black colony in Ghana. She expresses her love and excitement of the of her new surroundings.She feels comfortable around all of the people who are like her, but in the end she ends up missing her home. There is romance, tragedy, and excitement in this edition of the story of Maya Angelou¿s life. I would definitely recommend this book.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 14, 2003
Maya Angelou is insightful in her portrayal of an African American in search of acceptance in the land of his/her ancestors. It is a journey to find oneself, searching for strength in the acceptance of one's people.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 23, 2000
Maya Angelou is a very gifted writer, but my attention just wasn't captured by the contents of this book. Compared to the rest of her autobiography, 'All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes' was okay, but not great.
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Posted January 31, 2013
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Posted October 20, 2010
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Posted May 28, 2011
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Overview
From the Trade Paperback edition.
This is the fifth volume in Maya Angelou's successful autobiography.