Customer Reviews

Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelo

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This is the collection I've been waiting years for....

Simply put, this is the collection of a life time. The collected autobiographies of Maya Angelou is a must have for the diehard fan. I've always said that the only thing I truly envy about Oprah Winfrey is her beautiful relationship with this wise, brilliant woman. Dr. Angelou's life is an amazing story that has unfolded over decades through her series of six autobiographical books. From the very first book, "I know why the caged bird sings", which focused on the silenced young Maya growing up part-time in Arkansas with her grandmother, through the tales of the young independent woman who struck out to pursue her own destiny in the U.S. and abroad, all the way to the celebrated writer of today, this collection takes us along for the amazing journey that is Dr. Angelou's life.

Having read each of her autobiographical books over the past 20 years, I truly looked forward to the opportunity to relive these fascinating accounts again through this volume. As we traverse the terrain of her life, which contains many fascinating details including her international singing career, her struggle as a single mother, her sojourn to Africa and her involvement in the civil right's movement, we are reminded of the depth of experiences and wealth of knowledge that she possesses. I stood firmly once again in wonder of this phenomenal woman. To see a woman emerge from such a journey with the beautiful confidence and poise that Dr. Angelou possesses is nothing short of amazing and completely uplifting.

This collection is a dream come true for me and now one of my prized possessions. I was truly reminded that when it comes to writing and living life fully, for me no one does it better.

I am not African American, not African, not American, and this book was such an eye opener. It is so rich in humanity, it is a pleasure to read. Each one of the 6 books is written with a distinctive voice as a person is maturing. Maya has a way of writing that is refreshing, intimate and profound.

Through her eyes we become aware of the distinctive culture and values that her characters share or challenge. We see the need that every person has to live life fully and the questions we all need to answer about who we are and what are we here for.

I particularly liked the "All God's chhildren need traveling shoes" best. this book is a must for people who seek to accept that we can be different, yet valued.

It is a distinctive book because it is written in a way that lifts the spirits and intrigues the intelect. .... "to the determination to be no victim of any kind".

Other than Maya's poems, I have never read her autobiographies. WOW barely describes what I read and felt. I always thought of Maya to be just what she is....a poet, an author. To read how her early life was, I see how her life's experiences brought her to where she is today. Not only does she speak honestly, her style of writing makes one feel they are her in the books. The size of the book may seem intimidating, but I could not put it down. I had to schedule myself to study for my class and read this book!

I happened to hear her speak at a lecture series. She spoke for an hour and I was interested to read more about her life. I am only on page 280 but this woman is amazing and her writing style is so crisp and clear, it is as captivating as she was as a speaker. I enthusiatically recommend this book.

Maya writes with such a commanding style that it is an absolute pleasure reading her words. My advice is very simple - if you are at all interested in anything to do with Maya Angelou then don't muck about, order your copy of this volume today!

I purchased this book after reading, "I know why the caged bird sings", I found myself captivated by the spellbounding aura of maya angelou and in a thirst for her story purchased this book. I have drank her words readily and my only regret is that like all great things, the pages shall run out and my feast shall come to an end. This is a wonderful gift for any Maya Angelou fan, it branches outside of her poetry and makes the goddess of words appear a little more human.

This book is one of the best I've ever read. It shows the resilency of the human spirit. It's made me understand more about the black experience. I highly recommend it to everyone.

I couldn't put it down. Ms. Angelou's fresh, direct prose was irresistible, even if I had wanted respite. Her life is fascinating and she tells her story with courage and humor. I am grateful she has committed her life to these books and given us this gift.

We have learned more about Maya Angelou than we ever thought we knew. We had the utmost respect for her but after reading the book, we have even more respect for Maya Angelou.

Maya Angelou, Renaissance Woman

Short Review: The Complete Collection of Angelou's memoirs, all share a common theme and writing style: Literary, Unique perspectives, Rich insight into human nature and behavior and an engaging style of storytelling.
Long Review:

When I was still a youth, I first heard of Maya Angelou though a Public Broadcasting System (PBS) broadcast showcasing Angelou's first highly acclaimed memoir: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings released in 1969. The first of Angelou's Memoirs is a powerful narrative that tells of a traumatic event in her childhood that led to a bout of selective mutism that lasted for five years, because she felt her words "killed a man"; and it is no doubt this particular event in her life that redirected her energies into the keen self reflection and insight apparent in each of her engaging memoirs. The word's of Angelou's poem by the same name I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings reflect the pain and entrapment she must have felt as a child "The free bird leaps on the back of the wind" but the caged bird is trapped and can" seldom see through his bars of rage".

I was struck even then, as a young teenager by the sage wisdom and natural intuitive instinct inherent in Angelou's poems and her pilot memoir; it was after I had aged and attained my own levels of insight that I realized Angelou's powerful words had even greater depth than I had originally imagined. Angelou had what the old people who raised me, called Mother-Wit, the knowledge bred from a history of the oppression of black women that led to a special type of refined knowledge that was used as a well honed tool of survival. As the author, Joy Bennet Kinyon stated, the term Mother-wit was code for what you needed to know to survive.

Angelou's choice of words used in her five autobiographies includes phraseology that belongs to the refined and educated as well as terms appropriate to those who are street smart. The reading of Angelou's six gems of her life will give new insight into people, motivations, causes and reasons for living.

The autobiographies each can stand alone as they catalogue not only a time in the life of an American Legend, Poet Laureate and model for living, but they show levels of growth uninhibited by fear, societal norms and rules. Why else could a young girl raised by an elderly grandmother from tiny Stamps Arkansas grow into a woman who traveled the world before she was forty years old and before she became famous and well resourced. Angelou was a Dancer, a Singer, Stage Performer, wife of an African Dignitary, Author and Activist before the publication of her first memoir and all without the privilege of wealth or the assistance of powerful people.

The memoirs in Angelou's collection include I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Gather Together in My Name, Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas, The Heart of a Woman, All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes and A Song Flung Up to Heaven; covering Angelou's childhood during a racist time in America, through the Civil Rights Era and up to her meeting with James Baldwin (the acclaimed author of The Fire Next Time) who convinced her to begin her autobiographical journey.

Maya Angelou's list of achievements are too long to recount, among her many accolades is the fact she was chosen by Bill Clinton to perform her poem The Pulse of the Morning at his inaugural address, the first poet to recite at a Presidential Inauguration since Robert Frost. President Barak Obama presented Maya Angelou the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.

Josephine Thompson (Sara Niles) The Torn Trilogy