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Read by the poet at the lighting of the National Christmas Tree at the White House on December 1, 2005, Maya Angelou’s celebration of the “Glad Season” is a radiant affirmation of the goodness of life and a beautiful holiday gift for people of all faiths.
Gr 3 Up
This poem was largely inspired by the terrible natural disasters occurring throughout the world when Angelou was invited to read at the 2005 White House tree-lighting ceremony. Thus, the opening lines rumble and roil almost menacingly to illustrate the climate of doubt and anxiety into which the spirit of Christmas arrives. Hope enters as a whisper and grows until it is "louder than the explosion of bombs." The harsher aspects of the world fade as people of all faiths and races join together in trust and brotherhood. Johnson and Fancher's paintings, rendered in oil, acrylic, and fabric on canvas, elegantly depict a calm, snow-blanketed village where children play, families shop, and artisans ply their crafts. People gather at the Town Hall for sweets and cocoa, and then, in a candlelight procession, join again to sing beneath the stars. This is a comforting book that gets to the heart of what Christmas should mean. As an added treat, Angelou reads the poem on the accompanying CD.-Linda Israelson, Los Angeles Public Library
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.
Anonymous
Posted March 26, 2006
I was so very touched when Maya read this poem at the lighting of the national christmas tree on December 1, 2005. It was truly a special moment for our country. What a wonderful and meaningful Poem.It still brings tears to my eyes every time I read it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 11, 2005
I heard Maya Angelou read this poem on Oprah and found myself with tears streaming down my cheeks. It has great relevance to our world today and has an amazingly strong spirit.
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Posted December 12, 2005
Maya Angelou uses eloquence and her innate sensitivity and love for humanity to ring out a song for peace during this holiday season. Once again, she speaks for all mankind with her unifying words encompassing and crossing all boundaries. Her spirituality touches your soul, even in the darkest night.
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Posted February 6, 2010
The message in this book is beautifully written and beautifully illustrated. Most of all, it is beautiful because the message of peace, acceptance and love for all people at all times is so current now, as it has been always.
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Posted January 23, 2010
I bought a copy of this book for a family member who loves Maya Angelou, and decided to get another next year for our family... I'm looking forward to beginning a new Christmas tradition, take a few minutes to read it aloud every year. I hope it'll become, for us, a lovely quiet few minutes in what's often an overly-busy day to focus on what we celebrate.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Maya Angelou, world-renowned poet, philanthropist, and humanitarian, brings to vivid life the true meaning of Christmas. Her poems are not the simple rhyming ones of many children's books, but rather a meshing of words that go straight to the heart.
"Come and fill us and our world with your majesty.
We, the Jew and the Jainist, the Catholic and the Confucian,
Implore you to stay awhile with us
So we may learn by your shimmering light
How to look beyond complexion and see community.
It is Christmas time, a halting of hate time.
On this platform of peace, we can create a language
To translate ourselves to ourselves and to each other."
Although this is a perfect book to share with your children at Christmas, I believe it would make an excellent addition to your home library to share as a family, again and again, no matter the time of year. The message that it sends - one of love, tolerance, diversity, and peace - is one that all children can learn from, regardless of the date on the calendar.
Anonymous
Posted December 10, 2005
Maya Angelou's amazing words make for perfect reading at holiday gatherings. Her inspiration is what this old world desperately needs.
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Posted December 11, 2005
This poem is so true for todays world. Maya Angelou has done it again, she has captured what the world needs in a poem. A must read for the holidays.
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Posted February 6, 2011
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Posted April 25, 2011
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Posted November 25, 2010
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Posted December 6, 2008
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Posted November 29, 2008
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Overview
In this beautiful, deeply moving poem, Maya Angelou inspires us to embrace the peace and promise of Christmas, so that hope and love can once again light up our holidays and the world. “Angels and Mortals, Believers and Nonbelievers, look heavenward,” she writes, “and speak the word aloud. Peace.”Read by the poet at the lighting of the National Christmas Tree at the White House on December 1, 2005, Maya Angelou’s celebration of the “Glad Season” is a radiant affirmation of the goodness of life and a beautiful holiday gift for people of all faiths.