All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes [Paperback]

Maya Angelou (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 4, 1991

"Thoroughly enjoyable . . . an important document drawing more much-needed attention to the hidden history of a people both African and American."--Los Angeles Times Book Review.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

To read Angelou's book, the latest in a series of autobiographical works begun with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, without being moved would seem impossible. Here, this American poet, actress, civil rights activist and TV producer-director recalls her pilgrimage to Ghana in the early 1960s. Ostensibly, Angelou went there so that her son could study at the University of Ghanato put him (and herself) in touch with long-imagined ancestral roots. Sadly, she was disillusioned by the subtle rejection of native Ghanaians. Fighting this painful sense of not belonging, she plunged into activities; appearing in Genet's play The Blacks with black American performers, she went briefly to Berlin, where she underwent a searing experience dining in the home of a wealthy crypto-Nazi German. Other encounters, even the more pleasurable ones, hardly mitigate the homesickness and hurt underlying Angelou's poignant recall, which includes a meeting with Malcolm X and her visit to a village where, centuries ago, black men sold other black men, women and children to white slave traders. First serial to Essence.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA Angelou continues the candid chronicle of her life in this fifth volume of her autobiography which began with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Random, 1970). In the early '60s, Angelou worked at the university in Ghana and became involved with the community of Africans and black Americans. Students of African history will find a wealth of information and penetrating impressions of the proud, optimistic new country. Students of American history will learn first-hand of the opinions and feelings of black Americans who, living through the racial crisis of the '60s, came to Africa in search of their historical, spiritual and psychological home. Maya's own journey is at the center of the narrative, however, and readers will appreciate the candor with which she relates her conflicts with some Ghanaians; her romance with an African Muslim; her trip to Germany, where she joins an American acting troupe and confronts her own prejudices; and her struggle to accept her son's manly independence. As in her previous memoirs, the poet's prose sings. Jackie Gropman, Fairfax County Public Library, Va.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; 1St Edition edition (June 4, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067973404X
• ISBN-13: 978-0679734048
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #225,960 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Maya Angelou has been waitress, singer, actress, dancer, activist, filmmaker, writer and mother. As well as her autobiography she has written several volumes of poetry, including 'On the Pulse of the Morning' for the inauguration of President Clinton. She now has a life-time appointment as Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#13 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs

#26 in Kindle eBooks > Biographies & Memoirs

#13 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs

#26 in Kindle eBooks > Biographies & Memoirs

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars African/African-American encounters April 17, 2001

By Michael J. Mazza HALL OF FAME

Format:Paperback

"All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes" is an effective continuation of Maya Angelou's monumental, multi-volume autobiographical narrative. This installment begins in the early 1960s, with Maya and her son living in Africa. As a whole, this book is a fascinating meditation on the ties and disjunctions that exist between African-Americans and black Africans.

Maya reminisces about working for the University of Ghana, seeking employment as a journalist at the "Ghanaian Times," and beginning to pick up the Fanti language of Ghana. Particularly fascinating are her memories of the death of W.E.B. DuBois, the visit of Malcolm X to Africa, and her visit to Germany to perform in a production of Jean Genet's play "The Blacks." Angelou's book is both the vibrant record of an extraordinary woman, and an important portrait of Africa at a key era in its modern history.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating insights about Maya Angelou and Afro-Americans August 4, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

In 1962, Maya Angelou went to Ghana with her 17-year son. "All God's Children Need Travelling Shoes" tells the story of her personal journey to understand herself as a black American. This book provides fascinating insights about Maya Angelou in her early years and about Afro-American culture in general. In rich language, she provides both historical snapshots and compelling stories about Ghana's gentle people, herself, and the diaspora that brought black people to America.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Politically and culturally enlightening . . . May 24, 1999

By Maurice Williams VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I finished this book feeling just a little more connected to an Africa about which I've only been able to fantasize. This book sings to your heart with prose that is rhythmic and satiating, delicious to the eyes and savory to the tongue. For me, the only thing that could possibly top "Auntie's" writing is her speaking. In a voice that booms with quietness, Maya stokes and caresses, calms and enlightens. I've never had a disappointing experience with her autobiographical work or poetry. She's simply wonderful.