Maya Angelou’s debut memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) is an absolutely stunning tale of growing up lonely and timid and yet finding your seat of power. Marguerite (Maya) Johnson and her older brother Bailey are raised by their powerhouse paternal grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. They are well versed in Southern manners and their Bible. Maya is whip smart academically but less wise in the ways of the world.
At eight, she and her brother find themselves living with their mother in St. Louis. It’s a strange and different world, but Maya learns city ways and unfortunate learns hard lessons about trust and rape. The brother-sister team are sent back to their grandmother, where they mostly recover. Maya credits Mrs. Flowers, a well-spoken woman in the community, as her mentor and fellow fan of poetry and Shakespeare.
When Maya has graduated at 14 from her country school, then she and Bailey once again move in with their mother, this time in Oakland. Maya joins her father for awhile in San Francisco, but his current relationship and status seeking leads to a crazy adventure in Mexico where Maya ends up driving his car back across the border. Eventually aftera blow-up with her father’s girlfriend, Maya leaves, and in doing so learns how brave she is, how much she can do for herself, how valued she is in a community, and how strong she can be.
This is story about longing and freedom, and it’s an honest look at hatred and racism. No wonder Maya Angelou became the force that she was, and her legacy continues to be. This is a story worth reading. It’s unparalleled.