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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
The story of Maya Angelou’s extraordinary life has been chronicled in her multiple bestselling autobiographies. But now, at last, the legendary author shares the deepest personal story of her life: her relationship with her mother.
For the first time, Angelou reveals the triumphs and struggles of being the daughter of Vivian Baxter, an indomitable spirit whose petite size belied her larger-than-life presence—a presence absent during much of Angelou’s early life. When her marriage began to crumble, Vivian famously sent three-year-old Maya and her older brother away from their California home to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. The subsequent feelings of abandonment stayed with Angelou for years, but their reunion, a decade later, began a story that has never before been told. In Mom & Me & Mom, Angelou dramatizes her years reconciling with the mother she preferred to simply call “Lady,” revealing the profound moments that shifted the balance of love and respect between them.
Delving into one of her life’s most rich, rewarding, and fraught relationships, Mom & Me & Mom explores the healing and love that evolved between the two women over the course of their lives, the love that fostered Maya Angelou’s rise from immeasurable depths to reach impossible heights.
Praise for Mom & Me & Mom
“[The] latest, and most potent, of her serial autobiographies . . . [a] tough-minded, tenderhearted addition to Angelou’s spectacular canon.”—Elle
“Mesmerizing . . . Angelou has a way with words that can still dazzle us, and with her mother as a subject, Angelou has a near-perfect muse and mystery woman.”—Essence
“True to her style, [Angelou’s] writing cuts to the chase with compression and simplicity, and there in the background is a calypso smoothness, flurries and showers of musicality between the moments of wickedness. . . . A tightly strung, finely tuned memoir about life with her mother.”—Kirkus Reviews
“In this loving recollection of a complicated relationship, Angelou for the first time details the mother-daughter journey to reconciliation and unwavering connection and support. . . . Angelou vividly portrays a spirited woman. . . . [A] remarkable and deeply revealing chronicle of love and healing.”—Booklist
“Written with her customary eloquence . . . follows in the episodic style of Angelou’s earlier volumes of autobiography, pulling the reader along effortlessly. The lessons and the love presented here will speak to those trying to make their way in the world.”—Publishers Weekly
In her 1969 National Book Award-winning autobiography Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou wrote about her mother's early abandonment of herself and her older brother. What she does not write about there is her reunion with her mother a decade and their surprising reconciliation. Mom & Me & Mom is, as its title suggests, an evolving portrait of two women learning to understand and respect one another. Bound to be a bestseller.
Poet, writer, performer, teacher, and director Maya Angelou was raised in Stamps, Arkansas, and then moved to San Francisco. In addition to her groundbreaking autobiographies, beginning with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, she has also written two cookbooks, five poetry collections, including I Shall Not Be Moved, three books of essays, including Letter to My Daughter, and six long-form poems, including “Mother” and “On the Pulse of Morning,” read at the inauguration of President William Jefferson Clinton.
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.
1
The first decade of the twentieth century was not a great time to be born black and poor and female in St. Louis, Missouri, but Vivian Baxter was born black and poor, to black and poor parents. Later she would grow up and be called beautiful. As a grown woman she would be known as the butter-colored lady with the blowback hair.
Her father, a Trinidadian with a heavy Caribbean accent, had jumped from a banana boat in Tampa, Florida, and evaded immigration agents successfully all his life. He spoke often and loudly with pride at being an American citizen. No one explained to him that simply wanting to be a citizen was not enough to make him one.
Contrasting with her father's dark chocolate complexion, her mother was light-colored enough to pass for white. She was called an octoroon, meaning that she had one-eighth Negro blood. Her hair was long and straight. At the kitchen table, she amused her children by whirling her braids like ropes and then later sitting on them.
Although Vivian's mother's people were Irish, she had been raised by German adoptive parents, and she spoke with a decided German accent.
Vivian was the firstborn of the Baxter children. Her sister Leah was next, followed by brothers Tootie, Cladwell, Tommy, and Billy.
As they grew, their father made violence a part of their inheritance. He said often, "If you get in jail for theft or burglary, I will let you rot. But if you are charged with fighting, I will sell your mother to get your bail."
The family became known as the "Bad Baxters." If someone angered any of them, they would track the offender to his street or to his saloon. The brothers (armed) would enter the bar. They would station themselves at the door, at the ends of the bar, and at the toilets. Uncle Cladwell would grab a wooden chair and break it, handing Vivian a piece of the chair.
He would say, "Vivian, go kick that bastard's ass."
Vivian would ask, "Which one?"
Then she would take the wooden weapon and use it to beat the offender.
When her brothers said, "That's enough," the Baxter gang would gather their violence and quit the scene, leaving their mean reputation in the air. At home they told their fighting stories often and with great relish.
Grandmother Baxter played piano in the Baptist church and she liked to hear her children sing spiritual gospel songs. She would fill a cooler with Budweiser and stack bricks of ice cream in the refrigerator.
The same rough Baxter men led by their fierce older sister would harmonize in the kitchen on "Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross":
There a precious fountain
Free to all, a healing stream,
Flows from Calvary's mountain.
The Baxters were proud of their ability to sing. Uncle Tommy and Uncle Tootie had bass voices; Uncle Cladwell, Uncle Ira, and Uncle Billy were tenors; Vivian sang alto; and Aunt Leah sang a high soprano (the family said she also had a sweet tremolo). Many years later, I heard them often, when my father, Bailey Johnson Sr., took me and my brother, called Junior, to stay with the Baxters in St. Louis. They were proud to be loud and on key. Neighbors often dropped in and joined the songfest, each trying to sing loudest.
Vivian's father always wanted to hear about the rough games his sons played. He would listen eagerly, but if their games ended without a fight or at least a scuffle, he would blow air through his teeth and say, "That's little boys' play....
DonWilke
Posted Thu Apr 18 00:00:00 EDT 2013
I Also Recommend:
Mom & Me & Mom is a grand and beautifully written book. Maya Angelou is a truly gifted writer and her story is a heartfelt and honest one.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Mom is Magnetic
I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
How have I gone through my entire life without having read Maya Angelou yet?! I can’t believe that I have been missing out on such greatness all of this time and no one saw fit to tell me this (other than Oprah, that is). But now that I’ve read her (thanks to NetGalley, who gave it to me for free in exchange for an honest review), I can say with absolute certainty that I am going to read all of the books in her autobiographical series. I’m not sure if this one is part of her series or not, but it’s a memoir that chronicles Maya’s relationship with her mother.
Abandoned as young children by their unprepared mother, Vivian Baxter, Maya and her brother lived for a decade with their grandmother. When they became and age where being a black man in the south could be problematic, Maya and Bailey moved to California to live with the mother who had abandoned them.
The book highlights the struggles between Maya and her mother, and, ultimately, their mutual understanding, respect, and love for each other. Reading about Maya Angelou’s mother leaves the reader little doubt that Maya would grow up to be such a powerful and influential figure. Her mother was strong, willful, and read to protect herself and her family at any cost. She taught Maya that a reputation is the most important thing a person has going for them, and to make sure that if you, “say it in the closet.. be prepared to say it on the city hall steps.”
This short and powerful book is a great read, especially for mothers and daughters. I don’t think I can give this book the justice it deserves, so I will quote Maya in her description of her mother’s influence on her and hope the enormity of the words is enough to make you run out and pick up a copy:
“My mother’s gifts of courage to me were both large and small. The latter are woven so subtly into the fabric of my psyche that I can hardly distinguish where she stops and I begin.”
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Bobby_Tenison
Posted Sat Apr 20 00:00:00 EDT 2013
I Also Recommend:
One of the best books of the year!
3 out of 3 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 Wed Apr 03 00:00:00 EDT 2013
So much to learn and discover!
3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Jade1213
Posted Wed Apr 17 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Always love Maya.
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 Sun Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2013
This book is filled with pearls of wisdom to remind you how to appreciate life and live it to the fullest.
Though her life was filled with hardships she rose above it and gave thanks to God and her family.
It is told in honesty and homespun candor.
Anonymous
Posted Fri Apr 26 00:00:00 EDT 2013
I usually devour anything written by Maya Angelou. However, I just did not find her description of her Mom pleasant or amusing and finally just gave up.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Fri Apr 26 00:00:00 EDT 2013
This is an easy read. As usual, with Maya Angelou, it does good for the soul. It also reveals a few more painful secrets about her life. It is a wonder she survived. Read the book and give yourself a potent reminder to go hug and kiss all those motherly women in your world.
Shari4
Posted Sun Apr 21 00:00:00 EDT 2013
A wonderfully written masterpiece. Five stars!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Tue Apr 09 00:00:00 EDT 2013
Im 11 and this book is my favorite i always loved this book love it everybody should
0 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Apr 26 00:00:00 EDT 2013
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Overview
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
The story of Maya Angelou’s extraordinary life has been chronicled in her multiple bestselling autobiographies. But now, at last, the legendary author shares the deepest personal story of her life: her relationship with her mother.
For the first time, Angelou reveals the triumphs and struggles of being the daughter of Vivian Baxter, an indomitable spirit whose petite size ...