Maya Angelou's debut memoir is a modern American classic beloved
worldwide. Her life story is told in the documentary film And Still I
Rise, as seen on PBS's American Masters.
Here is a book as joyous and painful, as mysterious and memorable, as
childhood itself. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings captures the longing
of lonely children, the brute insult of bigotry, and the wonder of words
that can make the world right. Maya Angelou's debut memoir is a modern
American classic beloved worldwide.
Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient
grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey,
endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local
"powhitetrash." At eight years old and back at her mother's side in St.
Louis, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age--and has to live
with the consequences for a lifetime. Years later, in San Francisco,
Maya learns that love for herself, the kindness of others, her own
strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors ("I met and fell in love
with William Shakespeare") will allow her to be free instead of
imprisoned.
Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings will touch hearts
and change minds for as long as people read.
"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings liberates the reader into life
simply because Maya Angelou confronts her own life with such a moving
wonder, such a luminous dignity."--James Baldwin
