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Maya Angelou's Autobiography #4
The Heart of a Woman
Maya Angelou has fascinated, moved, and inspired countless readers with the first three volumes of her autobiography, one of the most remarkable personal narratives of our age. Now, in her fourth volume, The Heart of a Woman, her turbulent life breaks wide open with joy as the singer-dancer enters the razzle-dazzle of fabulous New York City. There, at the Harlem Writers Guild, her love for writing blazes anew.
Her compassion and commitment lead her to respond to the fiery times by becoming the northern coordinator of Martin Luther King's history-making quest. A tempestuous, earthy woman, she promises her heart to one man only to have it stolen, virtually on her wedding day, by a passionate African freedom fighter.
Filled with unforgettable vignettes of famous characters, from Billie Holiday to Malcolm X, The Heart of a Woman sings with Maya Angelou's eloquent prose her fondest dreams, deepest disappointments, and her dramatically tender relationship with her rebellious teenage son. Vulnerable, humorous, tough, Maya speaks with an intimate awareness of the heart within all of us.
Her compassion and commitment lead her to respond to the fiery times by becoming the northern coordinator of Martin Luther King's history-making quest. A tempestuous, earthy woman, she promises her heart to one man only to have it stolen, virtually on her wedding day, by a passionate African freedom fighter.
Filled with unforgettable vignettes of famous characters, from Billie Holiday to Malcolm X, The Heart of a Woman sings with Maya Angelou's eloquent prose her fondest dreams, deepest disappointments, and her dramatically tender relationship with her rebellious teenage son. Vulnerable, humorous, tough, Maya speaks with an intimate awareness of the heart within all of us.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1981
979 people are currently reading
30.1k people want to read
About the author
Maya Angelou
259books14.2kfollowersMaya Angelou was an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. Angelou's series of seven autobiographies focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim.
She became a poet and writer after a string of odd jobs during her young adulthood. These included fry cook, sex worker, nightclub performer, Porgy and Bess cast member, Southern Christian Leadership Conference coordinator, and correspondent in Egypt and Ghana during the decolonization of Africa. Angelou was also an actress, writer, director, and producer of plays, movies, and public television programs. In 1982, she was named the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Angelou was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Beginning in the 1990s, she made approximately 80 appearances a year on the lecture circuit, something she continued into her eighties. In 1993, Angelou recited her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" (1993) at the first inauguration of Bill Clinton, making her the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961.
With the publication of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou publicly discussed aspects of her personal life. She was respected as a spokesperson for Black people and women, and her works have been considered a defense of Black culture. Her works are widely used in schools and universities worldwide, although attempts have been made to ban her books from some U.S. libraries. Angelou's most celebrated works have been labeled as autobiographical fiction, but many critics consider them to be autobiographies. She made a deliberate attempt to challenge the common structure of the autobiography by critiquing, changing, and expanding the genre. Her books center on themes that include racism, identity, family, and travel.
She became a poet and writer after a string of odd jobs during her young adulthood. These included fry cook, sex worker, nightclub performer, Porgy and Bess cast member, Southern Christian Leadership Conference coordinator, and correspondent in Egypt and Ghana during the decolonization of Africa. Angelou was also an actress, writer, director, and producer of plays, movies, and public television programs. In 1982, she was named the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Angelou was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Beginning in the 1990s, she made approximately 80 appearances a year on the lecture circuit, something she continued into her eighties. In 1993, Angelou recited her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" (1993) at the first inauguration of Bill Clinton, making her the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961.
With the publication of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou publicly discussed aspects of her personal life. She was respected as a spokesperson for Black people and women, and her works have been considered a defense of Black culture. Her works are widely used in schools and universities worldwide, although attempts have been made to ban her books from some U.S. libraries. Angelou's most celebrated works have been labeled as autobiographical fiction, but many critics consider them to be autobiographies. She made a deliberate attempt to challenge the common structure of the autobiography by critiquing, changing, and expanding the genre. Her books center on themes that include racism, identity, family, and travel.
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July 13, 2018
4.5 stars
This is the fourth volume of Maya Angelou’s autobiography, the title comes from a poem by Georgia Johnson:
“The heart of a woman goes forth with the dawn,
As a lone bird, soft winging, so restlessly on,
Afar o'er life's turrets and vales does it roam
In the wake of those echoes the heart calls home.
The heart of a woman falls back with the night,
And enters some alien cage in its plight,
And tries to forget it has dreamed of the stars
While it breaks, breaks, breaks on the sheltering bars.�
This volume follows from Angelou from 1957 to 1962, starting in San Francisco and covering Angelou’s time in New York working for Martin Luther King’s organization. After meeting freedom fighter Vusumi Make she moves with him to London, then Cairo. The book ends when Angelou is living in Accra (Ghana). The list of people she meets and works with is impressive and she is very involved with the Civil Rights movement. The book starts with a meeting with Billie Holiday. Her civil rights work in New York leads her to meet and work with Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, James Baldwin, James Earl Jones, Paule Marshal and Cecily Tyson to name but a few. Malcolm X’s oratorical power comes across;
“Malcolm stood at the microphone. ‘Every person under the sound of my voice is a soldier. You are either fighting for your freedom or betraying the fight for freedom or enlisted in the army to deny somebody else’s freedom.� His voice, deep and textured, reached through the crowd, across the street to the tenement windows where listeners leaned half their bodies out into the spring air. ‘The black man has been programmed to die. To die either by his own hand, the hand of his brother or at the hand of a blue-eyed devil trained to do one thing: take the black man’s life.� �
Angelou consciously writes in the slave narrative tradition, speaking in the first person singular, talking about the first person plural. As you would expect the issue of race is central as Angelou is involved in active political protest. As always Angelou has a focus on relationships; with her son, with lovers and friends. She wrestles with how to bring up her son and on the nature of motherhood for a single black woman;
“The black mother perceives destruction at every door, ruination at each window, and even she herself is not beyond her own suspicion. She questions whether she loves her children enough- or more terribly, does she love them too much? Do her looks cause embarrassment- or even terrifying, is she so attractive her sons begin to desire her and her daughters begin to hate her. If she is unmarried, the challenges are increased. Her singleness indicates she has rejected or has been rejected by her mate. Yet she is raising children who will become mates. Beyond her door, all authority is in the hands of people who do not look or think or act like her children. Teachers, doctors, sales, clerks, policemen, welfare workers who are white and exert control over her family’s moods, conditions and personality, yet within the home, she must display a right to rule which at any moment, by a knock at the door, or a ring in the telephone, can be exposed as false. In the face of this contradictions she must provide a blanket of stability, which warms but does not suffocate, and she must tell her children the truth about the power of white power without suggesting that it cannot be challenged.�
One of the things I like about Angelou is her honesty about herself, her actions and motives. She admits mistakes freely and openly. It has been noted that there is also a sense of journey about the book and comparisons are made by Angelou to On the Road by Kerouac. Angelou emphasizes the sense of journey by quoting a line from spiritual that refers to Noah’s Ark; “The ole ark’s a-moverin.� The journey includes time in Africa and Angelou makes some pointed comparisons with the US. This on landing in Ghana:
“Three black men walked past us wearing airline uniforms, visored caps, white pants and jackets whose shoulders bristled with epaulettes. Black pilots? Black captains? It was 1962. In our country, the cradle of democracy, whose anthem boasted ‘the land of the free, the home of the brave,� the only black men in our airports fueled planes, cleaned cabins, loaded food or were skycaps, racing the pavement for tips.�
Angelou never loses her sense of humour:
“If more Africans had eaten missionaries, the continent would be in better shape�
I always find Angelou inspiring and am continuing to enjoy her autobiographical excursions.
This is the fourth volume of Maya Angelou’s autobiography, the title comes from a poem by Georgia Johnson:
“The heart of a woman goes forth with the dawn,
As a lone bird, soft winging, so restlessly on,
Afar o'er life's turrets and vales does it roam
In the wake of those echoes the heart calls home.
The heart of a woman falls back with the night,
And enters some alien cage in its plight,
And tries to forget it has dreamed of the stars
While it breaks, breaks, breaks on the sheltering bars.�
This volume follows from Angelou from 1957 to 1962, starting in San Francisco and covering Angelou’s time in New York working for Martin Luther King’s organization. After meeting freedom fighter Vusumi Make she moves with him to London, then Cairo. The book ends when Angelou is living in Accra (Ghana). The list of people she meets and works with is impressive and she is very involved with the Civil Rights movement. The book starts with a meeting with Billie Holiday. Her civil rights work in New York leads her to meet and work with Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, James Baldwin, James Earl Jones, Paule Marshal and Cecily Tyson to name but a few. Malcolm X’s oratorical power comes across;
“Malcolm stood at the microphone. ‘Every person under the sound of my voice is a soldier. You are either fighting for your freedom or betraying the fight for freedom or enlisted in the army to deny somebody else’s freedom.� His voice, deep and textured, reached through the crowd, across the street to the tenement windows where listeners leaned half their bodies out into the spring air. ‘The black man has been programmed to die. To die either by his own hand, the hand of his brother or at the hand of a blue-eyed devil trained to do one thing: take the black man’s life.� �
Angelou consciously writes in the slave narrative tradition, speaking in the first person singular, talking about the first person plural. As you would expect the issue of race is central as Angelou is involved in active political protest. As always Angelou has a focus on relationships; with her son, with lovers and friends. She wrestles with how to bring up her son and on the nature of motherhood for a single black woman;
“The black mother perceives destruction at every door, ruination at each window, and even she herself is not beyond her own suspicion. She questions whether she loves her children enough- or more terribly, does she love them too much? Do her looks cause embarrassment- or even terrifying, is she so attractive her sons begin to desire her and her daughters begin to hate her. If she is unmarried, the challenges are increased. Her singleness indicates she has rejected or has been rejected by her mate. Yet she is raising children who will become mates. Beyond her door, all authority is in the hands of people who do not look or think or act like her children. Teachers, doctors, sales, clerks, policemen, welfare workers who are white and exert control over her family’s moods, conditions and personality, yet within the home, she must display a right to rule which at any moment, by a knock at the door, or a ring in the telephone, can be exposed as false. In the face of this contradictions she must provide a blanket of stability, which warms but does not suffocate, and she must tell her children the truth about the power of white power without suggesting that it cannot be challenged.�
One of the things I like about Angelou is her honesty about herself, her actions and motives. She admits mistakes freely and openly. It has been noted that there is also a sense of journey about the book and comparisons are made by Angelou to On the Road by Kerouac. Angelou emphasizes the sense of journey by quoting a line from spiritual that refers to Noah’s Ark; “The ole ark’s a-moverin.� The journey includes time in Africa and Angelou makes some pointed comparisons with the US. This on landing in Ghana:
“Three black men walked past us wearing airline uniforms, visored caps, white pants and jackets whose shoulders bristled with epaulettes. Black pilots? Black captains? It was 1962. In our country, the cradle of democracy, whose anthem boasted ‘the land of the free, the home of the brave,� the only black men in our airports fueled planes, cleaned cabins, loaded food or were skycaps, racing the pavement for tips.�
Angelou never loses her sense of humour:
“If more Africans had eaten missionaries, the continent would be in better shape�
I always find Angelou inspiring and am continuing to enjoy her autobiographical excursions.
August 6, 2022
I've now read three in Angelou's series of memoirs, having picked them up as I've come across them in second hand shops or elsewhere. I've enjoyed them all and this one is really good, spanning the time she left Los Angeles and went to New York, hooking up with the Harlem Writers Guild, and working for the SCLC on behalf of social justice and fundraising for Reverend ML King. She was actually ready to settle down to housewifely duties and about to marry a bail bondsman in Brooklyn with whom she had nothing in common and no conversation to speak of, when fate intervened and she relocated to Africa, Cairo first and then Ghana.
What I find wonderful is how frank she is about her sex life (not explicit, mind you, just honest about how much she loved it), and her thoughtfulness of being a single mom to an adolescent son. It's really moving to get her perspective as a black mother to a black son, and the contrast she got to make when they left the US and went to Africa, especially in regards to policing, but also in the schools and on the streets.
Famous names (and the people attached to them) that make appearances in this volume include Billie Holliday, James Baldwin, Malcolm X, of course Rev. King, Oliver Tambo, Roscoe Lee Browne and Cicely Tyson (and several other cast members when she was Queen White in The Blacks by Jean Genet Off-Broadway in 1961). And I just love her mother whenever she shows up on the page, either as a presence or just a mental nudge reminding her daughter how to act or be in the world when it was trying to put her down. What a strong woman and model she was for Maya.
What I find wonderful is how frank she is about her sex life (not explicit, mind you, just honest about how much she loved it), and her thoughtfulness of being a single mom to an adolescent son. It's really moving to get her perspective as a black mother to a black son, and the contrast she got to make when they left the US and went to Africa, especially in regards to policing, but also in the schools and on the streets.
Famous names (and the people attached to them) that make appearances in this volume include Billie Holliday, James Baldwin, Malcolm X, of course Rev. King, Oliver Tambo, Roscoe Lee Browne and Cicely Tyson (and several other cast members when she was Queen White in The Blacks by Jean Genet Off-Broadway in 1961). And I just love her mother whenever she shows up on the page, either as a presence or just a mental nudge reminding her daughter how to act or be in the world when it was trying to put her down. What a strong woman and model she was for Maya.
August 21, 2017
is 's forth autobiography. This book reveals more of Maya's hectic adventures, political opinions, struggle with racism, and misfortune in the romance department. You will be introduced to Maya, the activist, who works for Martin Luther King Jr. and gets to meet Malcolm X. I like that each chapter is exciting enough to keep me interested.
I'm not surprised that she was able to keep her writing fresh and crispy with just the right amount of tasteful humor. Her son, Guy, is all grownup now and their mother/son relationship is heartwarming. She generously shares intimate details, so openly and honestly as per usual, which could be valuable life lessons on autonomy, relationships, and decision making for all women out there.
__________
Maya Angelou's Autobiographies:
1) I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
2) Gather Together in My Name.
3) Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas.
4) The Heart of a Woman.
5) All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes.
6) A Song Flung Up to Heaven.
January 20, 2023
3.75 rounded up
This was a buddy read that introduced me to Maya Angelou; a name I'd heard most of my life, but one I knew little of. It was interesting to find out a bit of what this woman was about, and to learn she lived a varied life with her fingers in lots of different vocations. While this memoir covers only a small segment of what she lived, it did provide a glimpse into who she was, how she lived and what influenced her.
Clearly, she was an intelligent and resourceful woman who cared deeply about the world around her. It was interesting to read of the challenges she faced as a single parent in an unkind and often dangerous world. The life events that pushed her one direction or another in living situations or job opportunities made me realize what a small life I've lived in comparison. Sometimes it seemed like someone shook her life like a snow globe to see where she would land next; but she always seemed to land on her feet, through the grace of good fortune and kind hearts.
In my uninformed assumptions I'd formed a mental image of who she was and what she might have to say and found myself squirming at times as she educated me to her own realities, particularly around the racial tensions being lived at the time. I was also surprised by decisions that appeared impetuous to my own carefully considered style. She was much more willing to jump into the unknown than I'll ever be, which likely gave her a richer tapestry to experience and look back on.
Thanks C, K and D for the interesting discussion. I do wonder how her later years and additional experiences might have continued to mold her thoughts on the world around her.
This was a buddy read that introduced me to Maya Angelou; a name I'd heard most of my life, but one I knew little of. It was interesting to find out a bit of what this woman was about, and to learn she lived a varied life with her fingers in lots of different vocations. While this memoir covers only a small segment of what she lived, it did provide a glimpse into who she was, how she lived and what influenced her.
Clearly, she was an intelligent and resourceful woman who cared deeply about the world around her. It was interesting to read of the challenges she faced as a single parent in an unkind and often dangerous world. The life events that pushed her one direction or another in living situations or job opportunities made me realize what a small life I've lived in comparison. Sometimes it seemed like someone shook her life like a snow globe to see where she would land next; but she always seemed to land on her feet, through the grace of good fortune and kind hearts.
In my uninformed assumptions I'd formed a mental image of who she was and what she might have to say and found myself squirming at times as she educated me to her own realities, particularly around the racial tensions being lived at the time. I was also surprised by decisions that appeared impetuous to my own carefully considered style. She was much more willing to jump into the unknown than I'll ever be, which likely gave her a richer tapestry to experience and look back on.
Thanks C, K and D for the interesting discussion. I do wonder how her later years and additional experiences might have continued to mold her thoughts on the world around her.
December 22, 2020
Another Wonderful Book
My journey along with Maya Angelou continues. This book is about her struggles while encountering her African roots. Is she African or African American is a huge theme throughout
Maya travels to Africa are preceded by trying to decide between the peaceful philosophies of Dr. Martin Luther King and the confrontational ways of Malcom X. At times her descriptions of her confusing encounters confused me as well.
The writing is descriptive and colorful, especially during the trip to Egypt.
Another winner! I recommend.
My journey along with Maya Angelou continues. This book is about her struggles while encountering her African roots. Is she African or African American is a huge theme throughout
Maya travels to Africa are preceded by trying to decide between the peaceful philosophies of Dr. Martin Luther King and the confrontational ways of Malcom X. At times her descriptions of her confusing encounters confused me as well.
The writing is descriptive and colorful, especially during the trip to Egypt.
Another winner! I recommend.
December 16, 2019
Many years ago, I attended a Maya Angelou reading and afterwards, she signed one of her books for me. A lovely lady, she was outgoing and gracious. This memoir covers her early 30s. She meets and works for historical icons like Billie Holiday and MLK. I was surprised to learn some things about her I didn't know before, but I won't play spoiler and recount them here. She certainly had more than her share of heartbreaks and challenges. I thoroughly enjoyed the read.
October 2, 2018
I have to say, of all of Maya Angelou's biographies I've read so far, this is my least favorite. The pacing felt a bit off and themes changed too abruptly. Still, it's a good book. I loved some parts of it, like the Billie Holiday story, or the time she confronted a white woman who came to watch her play but couldn't bear to think about her actions in the real world. I also loved how she depicted her mysoginistic lovers, and the way she reacts to them. And of course, I'm still shocked by her amazing, extraordinarily adventurous life. I just felt that the sum of the parts wasn't as satisfactory as the parts on their own.
June 19, 2018
This book is inspiring and reminds you that no matter what you are going through that it can be overcome. Maya Angelou's writing is honest, poetic and REAL. I find her style to be full of poetic imagery as is seen in this quote p. 52 "His features had the immutability of a Benin mask...his teeth like flags of truce. His skin the color of rich black dirt along the Arkansas river."
The following lucid and eloquent quotes remind one to persevere in the face of all things opposing:
"If I ended in defeat, at least I would be trying. Trying to overcome was black people's honorable tradition"(43).
"...We the most hated, must take hate into our hands and by miracle of love, turn loathing into love..take fear and by love change it into hope...take death and turn it into life"(46).
"The size and power of our adversaries were not greater that our capabilities"(74).
The writing of the venerable Maya Angelou is forever an inspiration.
The following lucid and eloquent quotes remind one to persevere in the face of all things opposing:
"If I ended in defeat, at least I would be trying. Trying to overcome was black people's honorable tradition"(43).
"...We the most hated, must take hate into our hands and by miracle of love, turn loathing into love..take fear and by love change it into hope...take death and turn it into life"(46).
"The size and power of our adversaries were not greater that our capabilities"(74).
The writing of the venerable Maya Angelou is forever an inspiration.
January 20, 2023
Although Maya Angelou has written several autobiographies, it is the first and only one that I have read. Her prose is easy to read, and her varied life experiences, relationships and intimate details kept me interested. Wanting to know more and what comes next, I read this memoir quickly.
I would like to read more about this talented lady, who like a cat, seemed to always land on her feet.
I would like to read more about this talented lady, who like a cat, seemed to always land on her feet.
July 14, 2016
What kind of book is this? the BEST kind of book, one that is emotionally warm, intellectually stimulating and all that spiced with a touch of wisdom! The Heart of a Woman is a memoir by Maya Angelou, so far the only memoir of her that I have read and I understand she has written several of them. The events Maya describes in this book take place between 1957 and 1962 and in that sense this book is a continuation of her previous memoirs.
I didn’t mind the fact that this wasn’t the first one and I don’t think it is obligatory to read them in a chronological order. She does make references in this one to her previous ones, but you won’t have a problem following the story�.and what a story it is!! The first time I wrote about this one was here () and I still love it every bit as much.
I do admire Maya’s courage when it comes to blending literature with autobiography. It is not an easy task and only a few have really gotten away with it. To narrate one's life, any period of it, in such an intimate way demands great courage, but turning that narration into a literature takes a kind of discipline and self-restraint only great writers have, thought people generally don't realize how hard writing on this level really is. Let’s just say that many people have written memoirs and while many of them may be interesting to read, only a few of them can really be considered literature.
Years ago, I found a quote by Maya that really moved me but instead of looking her up immediately, I decided to wait. My intuition told me that a book by her will arrive at the perfect moment. Having read doctor Martin Luther King's autobiography earlier that year put many events in context.
However, this memoir is much more than a sum of events, it is a window to a heart of a woman. As much as I found the historical part of it fascinating, I loved getting to know Maya just as much. I could have missed that chance if haven’t had read King first because it was his writing that prepared me for this one. I greeted eagerly an opportunity to read this book with an open heart....and the heart of a woman I got to meet is exceptionally warm, unbelievably candid and wonderfully understanding. It has been a privilege and a blessing to read you. Thank you Maya!
I didn’t mind the fact that this wasn’t the first one and I don’t think it is obligatory to read them in a chronological order. She does make references in this one to her previous ones, but you won’t have a problem following the story�.and what a story it is!! The first time I wrote about this one was here () and I still love it every bit as much.
I do admire Maya’s courage when it comes to blending literature with autobiography. It is not an easy task and only a few have really gotten away with it. To narrate one's life, any period of it, in such an intimate way demands great courage, but turning that narration into a literature takes a kind of discipline and self-restraint only great writers have, thought people generally don't realize how hard writing on this level really is. Let’s just say that many people have written memoirs and while many of them may be interesting to read, only a few of them can really be considered literature.
Years ago, I found a quote by Maya that really moved me but instead of looking her up immediately, I decided to wait. My intuition told me that a book by her will arrive at the perfect moment. Having read doctor Martin Luther King's autobiography earlier that year put many events in context.
However, this memoir is much more than a sum of events, it is a window to a heart of a woman. As much as I found the historical part of it fascinating, I loved getting to know Maya just as much. I could have missed that chance if haven’t had read King first because it was his writing that prepared me for this one. I greeted eagerly an opportunity to read this book with an open heart....and the heart of a woman I got to meet is exceptionally warm, unbelievably candid and wonderfully understanding. It has been a privilege and a blessing to read you. Thank you Maya!
January 20, 2023
2.5 🖤 🖤
December 8, 2019
Does anyone know what racism is? It is prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior. By that definition, Maya was definitely racist. Against whites. Now I am not going to be too popular with this notion. But hear me out. Maya Angelou hated white people. She frequently referred to them in her books as 'white devils' and 'crackers', extolling the virtues of black people, but painting white people in the harshest possible light. Now I know she was raised in an era when she was oppressed by whites, denigrated, and ridiculed. But this backlash against all white people is unfair. I happen to know quite a few white people who are good people. You can't paint everyone in a negative light - it's just not fair. Yes, it's a given that most of the white people in positions of power did abuse their authority. And I'm familiar with the Ku Klux Klan. I just don't think that the issue of racism is going to be solved with..... more racism. It doesn't make sense.
Also frustrating in this book was her marriage to whathisface, during which she was none other than a slave to this man who just wanted her under his thumb, and obedient and such. Why was Maya, strongly opposed to slavery, so willing to be a slave in her own home? Don't tell me it was just the way things were back then. That's no excuse not to grow a backbone. She had a choice to enter that marriage. If, in that day, the institution of marriage was known to oppress and demean a woman, why submit to it? Maya had a choice. As a successful career woman raising her son on her own, she could have continued status quo and been quite happy, thank you very much.
Additionally, this third biography just didn't have the depth and range of emotion that the other two did have. I felt alienated by all the politics, especially in the beginning. It felt as though she was just reciting a series of events, rather than trying to pull us in as readers. It started off promising, with a visit from the lovely Billie Holiday, but went downhill from there. Mind you, the novel did pick up near the end, leading you to hope that the next biography would be better than this one.
Also frustrating in this book was her marriage to whathisface, during which she was none other than a slave to this man who just wanted her under his thumb, and obedient and such. Why was Maya, strongly opposed to slavery, so willing to be a slave in her own home? Don't tell me it was just the way things were back then. That's no excuse not to grow a backbone. She had a choice to enter that marriage. If, in that day, the institution of marriage was known to oppress and demean a woman, why submit to it? Maya had a choice. As a successful career woman raising her son on her own, she could have continued status quo and been quite happy, thank you very much.
Additionally, this third biography just didn't have the depth and range of emotion that the other two did have. I felt alienated by all the politics, especially in the beginning. It felt as though she was just reciting a series of events, rather than trying to pull us in as readers. It started off promising, with a visit from the lovely Billie Holiday, but went downhill from there. Mind you, the novel did pick up near the end, leading you to hope that the next biography would be better than this one.
April 14, 2008
I really didn't like this book, which surprised me since I remember really liking "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." Her life is interesting, no doubt, but I found the book to be trite, unnatural and self-indulgent. The dialogue and general intereactions between characters was not convincing, which I find disturbing considering that this is not a work of fiction.
August 11, 2020
4/5
Maya Angelou yakın zamana kadar adını bile duymadığım bir yazardı. Pardon yazar mı dedim? Yazar, şair, ses sanatçısı, dansçı, oyuncu ve hatta sivil hak savunucusu cesur bir kadın demek istemiştim. Böyle söyleyince sizin de ilginizi çektiğimi düşünüyorum umarım öyle olmuştur. Her neyse adını duyduğumdan beri hayatını, mücadelesini okumak istediğim muazzam bir kişilik olduğunu biliyordum. Kafkaokur derginin bir sayısında da kendisinden bahsedilmiş ben de alıp okuma fırsatı bularak merakıma merak katmıştım. Yazarı anlayabilmek için başlangıç kitabı olarak otobiyografik kitabı olan Bir Kadının Yüreği kitabını okumak istedim. Kitabın otobiyografik oluşu “Acaba dili ağır mıdır, çok detaya inmiş midir, sıkılır mıyım?� diye düşünmeme ve kitaba önyargı ile başlamama sebep oldu fakat Angelou o kadar güzel ve duru yazmış ki okurken hiç de otobiyografi okuyor gibi değildim. Oğlu Guy ile birlikte sessiz sakin gözlerden uzak bir hayat yaşadıkları zamanlardan başlayıp Martin Luther King Jr. Ve Malcolm X ile birlikte çalışıp siyahilere yapılan zulme karşı durmaya kadar süren harika bir kitaptı. Bunun yanında Angelou’nun yaşadığı aşklar, aldığı kararlar, kurduğu arkadaşlıklar dolu dolu bir kitap okuduğumu hissettirdi bana. Yazdıklarını okumaya devam edeceğim harika bir şahsiyet. Size de tavsiye ederim.
Maya Angelou yakın zamana kadar adını bile duymadığım bir yazardı. Pardon yazar mı dedim? Yazar, şair, ses sanatçısı, dansçı, oyuncu ve hatta sivil hak savunucusu cesur bir kadın demek istemiştim. Böyle söyleyince sizin de ilginizi çektiğimi düşünüyorum umarım öyle olmuştur. Her neyse adını duyduğumdan beri hayatını, mücadelesini okumak istediğim muazzam bir kişilik olduğunu biliyordum. Kafkaokur derginin bir sayısında da kendisinden bahsedilmiş ben de alıp okuma fırsatı bularak merakıma merak katmıştım. Yazarı anlayabilmek için başlangıç kitabı olarak otobiyografik kitabı olan Bir Kadının Yüreği kitabını okumak istedim. Kitabın otobiyografik oluşu “Acaba dili ağır mıdır, çok detaya inmiş midir, sıkılır mıyım?� diye düşünmeme ve kitaba önyargı ile başlamama sebep oldu fakat Angelou o kadar güzel ve duru yazmış ki okurken hiç de otobiyografi okuyor gibi değildim. Oğlu Guy ile birlikte sessiz sakin gözlerden uzak bir hayat yaşadıkları zamanlardan başlayıp Martin Luther King Jr. Ve Malcolm X ile birlikte çalışıp siyahilere yapılan zulme karşı durmaya kadar süren harika bir kitaptı. Bunun yanında Angelou’nun yaşadığı aşklar, aldığı kararlar, kurduğu arkadaşlıklar dolu dolu bir kitap okuduğumu hissettirdi bana. Yazdıklarını okumaya devam edeceğim harika bir şahsiyet. Size de tavsiye ederim.
September 23, 2020
4.5 Stars!
I love me some Dr. Maya Angelou! I wish she was here right now, I feel like we need her wisdom and beautiful words today more than ever.
Dr. Angelou was wise and she got her wisdom the way everyone should....Through life experience. Dr. Angelou lived so many different lives. She went through the worst possible things and she never lost her sense of hope and humanity. I think the reason Dr. Angelou was so well loved and respected was because she always told her truth.
The Heart of a Woman is about something most of us have been through. Its about a bad relationship. In her case a bad marriage. Dr Angelou married a South African freedom fighter and she and her son moved to Cairo. Soon after arriving in Africa her husband changed and Dr. Angelou takes you through her fight to either save or leave her marriage.
This book was so filled with grace and tears. Its about fighting to regain ones self before its too late.
Recommended to EVERYONE!
I love me some Dr. Maya Angelou! I wish she was here right now, I feel like we need her wisdom and beautiful words today more than ever.
Dr. Angelou was wise and she got her wisdom the way everyone should....Through life experience. Dr. Angelou lived so many different lives. She went through the worst possible things and she never lost her sense of hope and humanity. I think the reason Dr. Angelou was so well loved and respected was because she always told her truth.
The Heart of a Woman is about something most of us have been through. Its about a bad relationship. In her case a bad marriage. Dr Angelou married a South African freedom fighter and she and her son moved to Cairo. Soon after arriving in Africa her husband changed and Dr. Angelou takes you through her fight to either save or leave her marriage.
This book was so filled with grace and tears. Its about fighting to regain ones self before its too late.
Recommended to EVERYONE!
September 28, 2020
Deep, honest and riveting. Love Maya. Her works are soulful and real.
April 20, 2021
wszystkie tomy tej autobiografii po prostu trzeba przeczytać, niesamowicie dużo uczą, dają perspektywę, pozwalają lepiej zrozumieć świat, biały przywilej i zmagania oraz walkę czarnoskórych w różnych częściach świata; dużo w tym tomie aktywizmu, kształtujących się poglądów, kobiecości, samotności i macierzyństwa. Maya Angelou to jedna z najwspanialszych pisarek i najbardziej imponujących, inspirujących osób, jakie dane mi było „poznać� <3
September 17, 2012
In 'The Heart of a Woman' Maya Angelou leaves California with her son, Guy, to go to New York, where she enters the world of black artists and writers. She begins to share her writing and performs at the Apollo Theater in Harlem; but the momentum of the story lies in her part in the struggle of black Americans for freedom: she is appointed Martin Luther King's Northern Coordinator. She takes a leading role in Genet's The Blacks, with a notable cast (including Godfrey Cambridge, Roscoe Lee Brown, James Earl Jones, Cicely Tyson, Raymond St. Jacques, and Lou Gossett).
In her personal relationships with men, she finds herself torn between a New York bail bondsman she was intending to marry and newcomer South African freedom fighter named Vusumzi Make, who sweeps her off her feet - she moves with him, via London, to Cairo. As she gains more independence as the first female editor of a magazine, her marriage crumbles. The most powerful relationship in Maya's life remains that which she had with her son who is becoming a man.
Maya continues to be a triumph!
In her personal relationships with men, she finds herself torn between a New York bail bondsman she was intending to marry and newcomer South African freedom fighter named Vusumzi Make, who sweeps her off her feet - she moves with him, via London, to Cairo. As she gains more independence as the first female editor of a magazine, her marriage crumbles. The most powerful relationship in Maya's life remains that which she had with her son who is becoming a man.
Maya continues to be a triumph!
June 11, 2024
The fourth volume of Maya Angelou's autobiography covers about a decade, starting from 1957. It was a tumultuous period, for her and for America. She recounts her move to New York and involvement in the civil rights struggle, including working with Martin Luther King Jr. Her account of the struggle against racism in the US is electrifying and moving. The narrative is compelling on both on a personal and a historical level. Angelou has a distinctive and powerful voice in her writing, conveying the emotion and the specifics of events very effectively.
Over the years covered by , Angelou's romantic life repeatedly tangled with her political life. She had two serious relationships and in both cases the man would not let her have the level of freedom (to work, in particular) that she wanted. Thus her writing reflects on the intersections of racism and sexism that she experienced. She moved countries several times for the sake of a relationship, living for quite a while in Egypt.
One part that really struck me was her experience in the cast of a Jean Genet play titled 'The Blacks', which bleakly parodied racism. Angelou initially disliked it for its message that if given power over whites, black people would just as cruel as white people have been. She then decided to act in it nonetheless:
She was surprised and puzzled by the positive audience reaction to the play, after expecting that white people would not want to watch it. A month into the play's run, she got an understanding of why they did when a white woman came up to her after the performance crying:
That short incident conveys so much. I continue to be deeply impressed at the quality of Angelou's memory and the vividness of her writing. This is a particularly striking volume of her autobiography, with many memorable sequences and a dramatic ending.
Over the years covered by , Angelou's romantic life repeatedly tangled with her political life. She had two serious relationships and in both cases the man would not let her have the level of freedom (to work, in particular) that she wanted. Thus her writing reflects on the intersections of racism and sexism that she experienced. She moved countries several times for the sake of a relationship, living for quite a while in Egypt.
One part that really struck me was her experience in the cast of a Jean Genet play titled 'The Blacks', which bleakly parodied racism. Angelou initially disliked it for its message that if given power over whites, black people would just as cruel as white people have been. She then decided to act in it nonetheless:
Genet had been right at least about one thing. Blacks should be used to play whites. For centuries we had probed their faces, the angles of their bodies, the sounds of their voices and even their odours. Often our survival had depended upon an accurate reading of a white man's chuckle or the distainful wave of a white woman's hand. Whites, on the other hand, always knew that no serious penalty threatened them if they misunderstood blacks. Whites were safely isolated from our concerns. When they chose, they could lift the racial curtain which separated us. They could indulge in sexual escapades, increase our families with mulatto bastards, make fortunes out of our music and eunuchs out of our men, then in seconds they could step away, and return unscarred to their pristine security. The cliche of whites being ignorant of blacks was not only true, but understandable. Oh, but we knew them with the intimacy of a surgeon's scalpel.
I dressed myself in the hated gestures and made the White Queen gaze down in loathing at the rotten stinking stupid blacks who, though innocent, like beasts were loathsome nonetheless.
She was surprised and puzzled by the positive audience reaction to the play, after expecting that white people would not want to watch it. A month into the play's run, she got an understanding of why they did when a white woman came up to her after the performance crying:
"I just wanted you to know... I just wanted to say that I've seen the play five times." She waited.
"Five times? We've only been playing four weeks."
"Yes, but a lot of my friends..." - now she was in control of herself again - "a lot of us have seen the play more than once. A woman in my building comes twice a week."
"Why? Why do you come back?"
"Well," - she drew herself up - "well, we support you. I mean, we understand what you are saying."
The blur of noise drifted around us, but we were an isolated inset, a picture of American society. White and black talking at each other.
"How many blacks live in your building?"
"Why, none. But that doesn't mean..."
"How many black friends do you have? I mean, not counting your maid?"
"Oh," she took a couple of steps backward. "You're trying to insult me."
I followed her. "You can accept the insults if I am a character on stage, but not in person, is that it?"
She looked at me with enough hate to shrivel my heart. I put my hand out.
"Don't touch me." Her voice was so sharp it caught the attention of some bystanders. Roscoe appeared abruptly. Still in character, giving a little bow, "Hello, Queen."
The woman turned to leave, but I caught her sleeve. "Would you take me home with you? Would you become my friend?"
She snatched her arm away, and spat out, "You people. You people." And walked away.
Roscoe asked, "And pray, what was that?"
"She's one of our fans. She comes to the theatre and allows us to curse and berate her, and that's her contrbution to our struggle."
Roscoe shook his head slowly. "Oh dear. One of those."
The subject was closed.
That short incident conveys so much. I continue to be deeply impressed at the quality of Angelou's memory and the vividness of her writing. This is a particularly striking volume of her autobiography, with many memorable sequences and a dramatic ending.
August 20, 2022
I found the writing a bit too simple and at times harsh. The concept, idea and purpose is very clear but the narrative is very one sided. I have to say this one is very different stylistically from the first autobiography of Maya Angelou
June 21, 2024
Captivating! The writing is engaging and lively, taking you on a tour of the US Civil Rights Movement and the independence movement in Africa. Amongst it all there’s honesty and humour, and complicated relationships at home.
Some famous names that make an appearance in this one are too good not to share: MLK, Malcom X, James Baldwin, Billie Holiday.
Give me the next one
Some famous names that make an appearance in this one are too good not to share: MLK, Malcom X, James Baldwin, Billie Holiday.
Give me the next one
January 20, 2014
So many punchlines!
The thing about reading memoirs is that it allows you to see through the author's narrative. Maya Angelou did a remarkable job in making her point understood through vivid encounters, heated conversations, musings, constant reflections, and cultural subtleties.
Maya is a poet, a writer, a singer, an artist, an activist, and most of all, a mother. As a black American woman in Harlem, she learned how to play the game. Braving the streets of New York and London, she speaks with renowned men fighting great battles, diplomats, ambassadors, officials, wives, and people who agree and disagree with her. Clad with her eloquence, intelligence, and beauty, she outwits people around her. She may fall, but she sure rises at the end of each.
Feeling as if you're walking on her shoes is an understatement. In as much as she paints Martin Luther King Kr. as strong, principled and passionate and Malcom X as bold and composed, Maya Angelou fought the battle as much.
Since late 19th century, racism and slavery were being fought against. It gained momentum since, but the struggle for freedom continues. Maya draws a clear picture of how this struggle has been carried during her time. From public speeches, negotiations, stand-offs, riots and petty encounters that should not have been waged if only for idiocy and hypocrisy of some people.
The hegemony of whites was appalling because it exploited the blacks - took them their rights, their freedoms. Maya echoes this characterization. But somehow, she managed to pose questions that challenged even her own views. For Maya, it's not that blacks and whites are humans too, both equally capable of hurting and getting hurt, and that they might have lived differently. But that whites are whites and blacks are blacks and that they're different. While it shows that Maya is strong on her resolve, it also shows the complexity of the conflict. Truly, there is power asymmetry, subjection and historical abuses, but racial discrimination isn't just that. Achieving middle ground may be hard, but sometimes, it's the best option. Understanding the core of humanity and what it means to be human is essential in breaking the deadlock. For Maya, in this battle it is being mother that she can free herself.
The thing about reading memoirs is that it allows you to see through the author's narrative. Maya Angelou did a remarkable job in making her point understood through vivid encounters, heated conversations, musings, constant reflections, and cultural subtleties.
Maya is a poet, a writer, a singer, an artist, an activist, and most of all, a mother. As a black American woman in Harlem, she learned how to play the game. Braving the streets of New York and London, she speaks with renowned men fighting great battles, diplomats, ambassadors, officials, wives, and people who agree and disagree with her. Clad with her eloquence, intelligence, and beauty, she outwits people around her. She may fall, but she sure rises at the end of each.
Feeling as if you're walking on her shoes is an understatement. In as much as she paints Martin Luther King Kr. as strong, principled and passionate and Malcom X as bold and composed, Maya Angelou fought the battle as much.
Since late 19th century, racism and slavery were being fought against. It gained momentum since, but the struggle for freedom continues. Maya draws a clear picture of how this struggle has been carried during her time. From public speeches, negotiations, stand-offs, riots and petty encounters that should not have been waged if only for idiocy and hypocrisy of some people.
The hegemony of whites was appalling because it exploited the blacks - took them their rights, their freedoms. Maya echoes this characterization. But somehow, she managed to pose questions that challenged even her own views. For Maya, it's not that blacks and whites are humans too, both equally capable of hurting and getting hurt, and that they might have lived differently. But that whites are whites and blacks are blacks and that they're different. While it shows that Maya is strong on her resolve, it also shows the complexity of the conflict. Truly, there is power asymmetry, subjection and historical abuses, but racial discrimination isn't just that. Achieving middle ground may be hard, but sometimes, it's the best option. Understanding the core of humanity and what it means to be human is essential in breaking the deadlock. For Maya, in this battle it is being mother that she can free herself.
July 13, 2011
This is the final book in this series. In this book her son is 15 years old. The have moved a lot for work on various jobs. They move to NYC so she can work on becoming a writer. She gets very involved in the civil rights movement, including running SCLC office in NY for Martin Luther King. At one point her son's life is threatened by a gang (who had killed before.) She talked about how black boys grow up thinking that they, and therefore, other black youth, had no worth. You could feel her fear as a mother for her son. She meets a freedom fighter from Africa, who fought against apartheid and other racism in South Africa. It was interesting to learn more about that, especially the cultural differences between and African vs. a black American. They have a verbal marriage agreement after barely knowing each other. The amazing part about this relationship was how a strong, independent, self-reliant woman could stand such a male dominant relationship. She quit her job, quit acting, etc. She was not allowed to know about their money situation until they were evicted from their apartment. They moved to Cairo and she had to fight for her right to get a job. He cheated on her constantly and she finally left him. She moved to Ghana with her son so he could attend college in Africa. It amazed me that at the end of the book, after all she had fought for and endured, the most important thing was her son and being a mother. Another thing I appreciated was that she shared her mistakes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2015
A slice from some years of Maya Angelou's life.
Angelou juggles raising a kid alone, working in showbiz, navigating relationships--serendipitously, she falls into black activist work through which she'll meet MLKjr, Malcolm X--she'll marry a South African activist and move with him and her son to Cairo--become an editor of a weekly newspaper there--
Angelou's life beats in strong clear waves---she was a singer, an artist, a writer, a poet, an actor, an organizer, an activist, a mother---
How sobering that she died last year and virtually no progress seems to have been made on so many fronts she fought...
Angelou juggles raising a kid alone, working in showbiz, navigating relationships--serendipitously, she falls into black activist work through which she'll meet MLKjr, Malcolm X--she'll marry a South African activist and move with him and her son to Cairo--become an editor of a weekly newspaper there--
Angelou's life beats in strong clear waves---she was a singer, an artist, a writer, a poet, an actor, an organizer, an activist, a mother---
How sobering that she died last year and virtually no progress seems to have been made on so many fronts she fought...
September 17, 2013
Read this riding my 'I know why the caged bird sings' high. What struck me as the most different - and the most disappointing - part of this book was that it read more as a chronology.
Really exciting things happening in her life and the world at this time, but didn't have the same story-telling charm as caged bird.
Like it none the less.
Really exciting things happening in her life and the world at this time, but didn't have the same story-telling charm as caged bird.
Like it none the less.
January 30, 2016
WOW. I have been reading Maya's biography and this book really did it for it. I really showcased what an amazing woman she is. I loved the narrative, it felt so real and raw. The book was laced with a lot of historical moments and that really did it for me.
An amazing read.
An amazing read.
March 18, 2023
What a life Maya Angelou had.....
January 9, 2025
It physically pains me that this is my decided final rating for this book. I adore ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings� and was excited to see this in stock at my local library. I will admit that I assumed it was the direct sequel to Angelou’s first autobiography, but ‘The Heart of a Woman� actually details the events of her life from 1958-1962, starting in San Francisco after the failed marriage to her first husband and ending with her settling in Africa and her only son just starting college in Ghana; though a majority of the book chronicles her time living in New York City and partaking the civil rights movement.
I was prepared to absolutely love this book, and the first few chapters set in San Francisco were phenomenal. One thing that’s consistent throughout the book is Angelou’s lyricism and wit, and I truly feel it shines best when she’s describing her life with Guy in California.
It’s when she makes the decision to move to New York City to join the Harlem Writer’s Guild, and the events that soon follow, that things began falling apart for me.
Angelou comes across as less of a down-to-earth wise woman by then and more like a sanctimonious, self-indulgent champagne liberal who’s desperate to let us know how much of a good person she is whilst constantly bragging about all her celebrity friends; ranting against the oppressor of herself and her people whilst she sips scotch on first-class flights from her Manhattan penthouse to London and Cairo. She extolls blacks as virtuous freedom-fighters whilst lambasting whites at every opportunity, even though there are many white characters in the book who treat Angelou kindly and offered her a prestigious position as the office manager for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, leading to her meeting Martin Luther King and her future husband, amongst others. Angelou makes evident that she has a chip on her shoulder towards whites, though comes across as tone-deaf when she contrasts her life of privilege with the average, working-class African American (she attempts to unite herself to them as them being ‘enslaved�, even though Maya herself, nor her parents, were slaves and had very successful careers) and even most whites at the time, who were certainly not travelling to Europe and Egypt and living in luxury apartments (which Maya waxes about incessantly, even making excuses that she deserves to be spoiled because white people tried to devoid blacks from that privilege). The second half of this book felt so disingenuous, though perhaps Angelou’s (very unconvincing-sounding) interactions with Billie Holliday in the second chapter of this book should have probably warned me for what was to come.
Not to mention, she becomes aware of her second husband’s infidelities in New York City and laments how she feels isolated at their apartment because he doesn’t allow her to work a traditional job, and yet she follows him all the way back to Africa, where he continues to cheat and be openly misogynistic towards her, only for her to keep shifting blame towards white people (she also turns a blind eye to the sexism exhibited by the African men she’s friends with). She and other African women are also hostile to a woman they’re acquainted with who is also a philanderer, and yet they do not offer her the same flexibility they give to Angelou’s husband, instead vilifying her and doing everything they can to turn her away from their group. This same woman later admits to Angelou that she’s having an affair with her husband, and it is then that Angelou puts her foot down and stands up to her spouse (though not before calling the woman a whore in front of her friends). The whole thing ultimately left an acrid taste in my mouth and made me question Angelou’s character.
Even though I love ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings�, this book turned me off completely from reading her other autobiographies. I’m going back to reading Richard Wright’s ‘Black Boy�.
I was prepared to absolutely love this book, and the first few chapters set in San Francisco were phenomenal. One thing that’s consistent throughout the book is Angelou’s lyricism and wit, and I truly feel it shines best when she’s describing her life with Guy in California.
It’s when she makes the decision to move to New York City to join the Harlem Writer’s Guild, and the events that soon follow, that things began falling apart for me.
Angelou comes across as less of a down-to-earth wise woman by then and more like a sanctimonious, self-indulgent champagne liberal who’s desperate to let us know how much of a good person she is whilst constantly bragging about all her celebrity friends; ranting against the oppressor of herself and her people whilst she sips scotch on first-class flights from her Manhattan penthouse to London and Cairo. She extolls blacks as virtuous freedom-fighters whilst lambasting whites at every opportunity, even though there are many white characters in the book who treat Angelou kindly and offered her a prestigious position as the office manager for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, leading to her meeting Martin Luther King and her future husband, amongst others. Angelou makes evident that she has a chip on her shoulder towards whites, though comes across as tone-deaf when she contrasts her life of privilege with the average, working-class African American (she attempts to unite herself to them as them being ‘enslaved�, even though Maya herself, nor her parents, were slaves and had very successful careers) and even most whites at the time, who were certainly not travelling to Europe and Egypt and living in luxury apartments (which Maya waxes about incessantly, even making excuses that she deserves to be spoiled because white people tried to devoid blacks from that privilege). The second half of this book felt so disingenuous, though perhaps Angelou’s (very unconvincing-sounding) interactions with Billie Holliday in the second chapter of this book should have probably warned me for what was to come.
Not to mention, she becomes aware of her second husband’s infidelities in New York City and laments how she feels isolated at their apartment because he doesn’t allow her to work a traditional job, and yet she follows him all the way back to Africa, where he continues to cheat and be openly misogynistic towards her, only for her to keep shifting blame towards white people (she also turns a blind eye to the sexism exhibited by the African men she’s friends with). She and other African women are also hostile to a woman they’re acquainted with who is also a philanderer, and yet they do not offer her the same flexibility they give to Angelou’s husband, instead vilifying her and doing everything they can to turn her away from their group. This same woman later admits to Angelou that she’s having an affair with her husband, and it is then that Angelou puts her foot down and stands up to her spouse (though not before calling the woman a whore in front of her friends). The whole thing ultimately left an acrid taste in my mouth and made me question Angelou’s character.
Even though I love ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings�, this book turned me off completely from reading her other autobiographies. I’m going back to reading Richard Wright’s ‘Black Boy�.
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August 19, 2024Book number four of Maya’s amazing adventurous life. I’m seriously in awe of Maya’s experiences. From the places she’s traveled to the people she’s met, what a wild and inspiring ride! There is so much history included in this book. I think everyone should read her autobiography.
January 10, 2021
Maya Angelou a une plume très détaillée. Sa vie semble remplie de rebondissements et de rencontres plus étonnantes les unes que les autres. En raison, des situations abordées, cette lecture me fait vivre toute sorte d’émotions et me fait réaliser que plus les choses évoluent, plus elles sont semblables. Cette autobiographie permet de «comprendre» (en tant que femme blanche, je ne pourrai jamais réellement comprendre) en partie la réalité des personnes noires dans les années 60. Maya Angelou est une femme forte et indépendante.
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