Literary Pick (***)

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
-Maya Angelou
 




















"Preach it, I say preach it!" I will always say that with a heart-felt chuckle.
I've always had a deep admiration and respect for Maya Angelou, so when I first learned about this autobiographical novel I was thrilled to add it to my to-reads list for later reading. The title alone, "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings", says so much about the story, and seems to be filled with such hope in the face of adversity.
The story chronicles the life of Marguerite (Maya), along with her brother Bailey, in the care of their devout grandmother in Stamps Arkansas, and years later moving in with her mother (Vivian) to San Francisco, ending with the touching bond between Maya and her newborn son. As a novel, it wasn't as interesting as I would have liked it to be, so I had to keep reminding myself that it was the story of Maya Angelou's life. It would've been nice to clearly hear the voice of wisdom we all know and love, but I felt it didn't come through so much for me, then again, it was young Angelou. This is a book I would definitely recommend you read first if you're just beginning to have an interest in Angelou's works.