Monday, December 28, 2020

August 2020 Host:  Jennie

Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Summary

Maya and her brother are sent to live with their grandmother in a small Southern town.  They feel abandoned as well as prejudice from the local “poor white trash”. When Maya is eight years old, she moves back in with her mother in St. Louis and is frequently attacked by a much older man. She lives with the burden of this trauma for the rest of her life.  She eventually builds a life in San Francisco and through her strong spirit and her eventual love of books, including Shakespeare, she is allowed to be free rather than imprisoned. This is Maya Angelou’s first memoir. She does not censor anything and allows the reader to hear the most honest inner voice of a Black child as well as giving the reader an understanding of her struggles and hardships in life. This is a fascinating look into the author’s life and definitely a must read.

 


 

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