Laura Castelo / Book Review: “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, by Maya Angelou

“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” is the first of five books that Maya Angelou wrote about her own life. This part of her biography focuses on childhood and first years of her youth.

In this pages you are caried for 30´s Arkansas by Maya kid. All the colours, flavours, smells and severity. All the thoughts and the confused understanding about her Family life and about herself.

Indeed, we all know how the early years are significant. Maya was always seen as a sensitive girl, several times this was seen as a fault for her family, but thanks to this amazing view we gain this gift shaped book.

Maya and Bailey, her older brother, were sent by parents, after the divorce, care of the paternal grandmother. In the 30´s these 3 and 4 year old kids crossed the country by train, unattended, from California to Arkansas.

For the warehouse, the cotton fields and for the evangelical Church. At this time of the narrative we were touched by the vulnerability of this girl and for the beautiful writing of Maya. This particular moment in the history of USA was a time when the exploitation of black people in the cotton fields took this people to extreme situations, the social violence against black people, the lynching, the segregation laws set the social backdrop, without a doubt it´s also formative.

Besides we saw the hardness on the family relations and this girl trying to understand the movements of adults and her own feelings. Maya and her brother return to their father´s and after to their mom's care after the danger of murderers of black men on Arkansas reach their apex.

Nonetheless the years of lack in this relationship took some marks and their parents are unknown and surprising people. The final chapter brings a twist.

Undoubtedly it´s a journey of growing and generation of a remarkable woman and clearly an amazing writer.

Image: Google.