Carla B. (puppyluv) reviewed on 3/31/2007 + 552 more book reviews

Annotation
Author, screenwriter and poet Maya Angelou distills the wisdom of a lifetime into this inspiring collection of down-to-earth essays about matters timely and timeless. The author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings celebrates the inimitable strength of her womanhood and the power of the word to surpass all boundaries of society and humanity.

From the Publisher
Wisdom from a remarkable woman of many talentsa writer who captured America's heart on Inauguration Day.

From The Critics
Publishers Weekly
Angelou ( I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ) is leery of people who give up too easily, whiners, complainers, men seeking an ``earth mother'' and vulgar entertainers. In this collection of short essays, many only two to three pages in length, she discusses the value of charity and her faith in God. She rages with eloquence at the deaths of loved ones, and shares her thoughts on discovering an authentic personal style, the insidious effects of racism, and pregnancy as an experience to be shared by a woman and her mate. Angelou includes reminiscences of her childhood in Stamps, Ark., on being a single mother and on dancing in a professional duo with Alvin Ailey. These quietly inspirational pieces convey her sense of life as an ongoing adventure. (Oct.)

Library Journal
In this small gem of a book, Angelou, the popular poet and novelist ( All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes , LJ 3/15/86, among others), shares her thoughts about humankind: how to respect others of different cultures, opinions, and values as taught by universal philosophies. Annie Johnson in ``New Directions'' and Aunt Tee in ``Living Well, Living Good'' are just some of the characters Angelou uses throughout to illustrate with precision and color the respect and perseverance she values. The narratives are carefully constructed with exhilarating assurance as the reader makes the transformative journey from what she is to what she must finally be. Angelou's prose is brisk, fluid, and entrancing. This work will provide a taste of wisdom to all who read it. Highly recommended.-- Gayle S. Leach-Bethea, Maryland House of Corrections, Jessup

School Library Journal
YA-Morality, manners, friendships, and love are a sampling of the subjects covered by renowned playwright and poet. Students will contemplate the art of the essay as well as the wisdom of the woman in these pithy, candid pieces that are taken from her own experiences. Funny, sad, or poignant, they all make a plea for tolerance and understanding. Angelou's command of the English language is exceeded only by her love of humanity.-Jackie Gropman, Kings Park Library, Burke, VA

BookList
Since her momentous and moving reading of the presidential inaugural poem, Angelou has received much well-deserved attention. These brief essays--sermonettes, rather--form a spiritual autobiography of a spirited African American. One of the most gripping shows her, as a single professional woman, haranguing a group of black professional men in a bar, challenging them to accept her as the complex and driven being that she is, only later realizing that she was unwilling to extend the same understanding to the men in her life. There is a quiet but demanding honesty about these pieces that warms, and sometimes sears, the heart.

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