September 22, 2008
From the mellifluous voice of a venerable American icon comes her first original collection of writing to be published in ten years, anecdotal vignettes drawn from a compelling life and written in Angelou's erudite prose. Beginning with her childhood, Angelou acknowledges her own inauguration into daughterhood in "Philanthropy," recalling the first time her mother called her "my daughter." Angelou becomes a mother herself at an early age, after a meaningless first sexual experience: "Nine months later I had a beautiful baby boy. The birth of my son caused me to develop enough courage to invent my life." Fearlessly sharing amusing, if somewhat embarrassing, moments in "Senegal," the mature Angelou is cosmopolitan but still capable of making a mistake: invited to a dinner party while visiting the African nation, Angelou becomes irritated that none of the guests will step on a lovely carpet laid out in the center of the room, so she takes it upon herself to cross the carpet, only to discover the carpet is a table cloth that had been laid out in honor of her visit. The wisdom in this slight volume feels light and familiar, but it's also earnest and offered with warmth.
November 1, 2008
This collection of short essays, most of them two or three pages long, continues Angelou's themes in "Even the Stars Look Lonesome and Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now" by combining personal experience with prescriptions for a meaningful life. Dedicating the book to the daughter she never had, Angelou recounts her childhood in Stamps, AR, where she endured the oppression of racism, an experience that has left its indelible mark on her. When she became pregnant during high school, she chose to have the child and raise him herself despite the difficulty, which taught her independence at a young age. She emphasizes the need for cultural tolerance and doesn't hesitate to reveal her own cultural misstepse.g., in Morocco, mistaking raisins in her coffee for cockroaches and walking on the tablecloth in Senegal. Angelou is at her best when she departs from popular views, as in her chapter on violence, in which she disagrees with those who see rape as solely about power and not about sexual violence. This collection will appeal to Angelou fans and those looking for short essays that offer important truths. Recommended for large collections.Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo
Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
September 15, 2008
Poet and author Angelou, who has a son but no daughter, nevertheless speaks to all women as her daughter in this slim volume of stories, poetry, and life observances. Useful events of her own life become lessons for other women, including stories of abuse at the hands of men, finally absorbing the praise her mother heaped on her, accepting and respecting her gift for writing, appreciating the little acts of kindness that pass between friends, and finding friends in unexpected places. She relates candid stories of many a personal faux pas, committed in ignorance of other cultures and the lessons learned about humility. Recalling bittersweet memories of friends who have died, she notes that each of her birthdays is a remembrance of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on the same date. Pondering the commonality of the human heart in all artists, she applauds the influence of Celia Cruz, the Cuban singer, on Angelous own sense of rhythm in reading and writing poetry. Through the poetry of others, she explores the particular vigor of black poetry, writing of oppression and hope in the same breath. She is lyrical in her essays on race, religion, and regionalism as she recalls a life lived well into her seventies, sharing lessons learned on the art of living a good life. Readers will appreciate this first original collection in10 years by the author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)