during a 50-year career that culminated in three grammy awards, a presidential medal of freedom, a pulitzer nomination, and 36 books, maya angelou never failed to use the power of her skillful words to candidly reflect on sorrows and celebrations of the human experience.
“the world knows her as a poet, but deep down she was a teacher,” oprah said of angelou. “‘When you learn, teach. when you get from her, give from her’ is one of my best lessons from her.”
You are reading: Best maya angelou books
Referred to by Oprah as her “mentor, mother/sister, and friend,” Angelou, who died in 2014 at age 86, spent her life offering hard-earned wisdom to society through countless poems, essays, and memoirs. , courageously sharing her many trials and tribulations, but also triumphs, as a black woman in america. But like Oprah, Angelou’s candor encouraged many people to remain hopeful even in the darkest of times.
from its depth i know why the caged bird sings to the lyric and i still rise, angelou continues to inspire us through her written words and the indelible example she left. and although it was (really) difficult, we reduced his vast body of work to the 10 most essential of his repertoire. But don’t worry: we’ve also put together a comprehensive list of her work, in case you want to further your study of this remarkable writer.
I know why the caged bird sings (1969)
With the encouragement of her friend and fellow pioneer James Baldwin, Angelou published her debut memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. In it, he captures his childhood struggles with abuse and prejudice, while detailing how the contrasting freedom of his adolescence allowed him to find strength in the midst of despair. The autobiography is possibly his most popular work, and Time magazine named it one of the 100 nonfiction books of all time.
“I know why the song of the caged bird releases the reader into life simply because Maya Angelou confronts her own life with such poignant wonder, such luminous dignity,” Baldwin said of it.
just give me a drink of cool water before i die (1971)
In her first collection of poetry, angelou uses 38 different lyrical titles as social commentaries through which she explores themes of love, racism, and nostalgia. With poems such as “They Gone Home,” “Times Square Shoe Shine Composition,” and “Not a Loser, Now a Crybaby,” the work earned him a Pulitzer Prize nomination.
gather in my name (1974)
A sequel to I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou tells readers about her life after World War II. She is a teenage mother of a young son named Clyde, who struggles to support him as she weaves in and out of relationships and jumps from job to job. is the story of a young woman trying to find herself in the midst of parental responsibility, while the lure of drugs and crime nearly takes her life in an unfortunate direction.
and I still get up (1978)
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Home of one of Angelou’s most lauded poems, “Phenomenal Woman,” this volume celebrates everything from dreams and lively Saturday nights to freedom and the sounds of the South. Through energetic pacing and written prowess, Angelou honors life, and the good and bad that comes with it.
“…the stride of my step/ the curvature of my lips./ I am a woman/ phenomenal./ a phenomenal woman,/ that is me.”
the heart of a woman (1981)
in her fourth memoir, angelou moves with her son to new york city and quickly becomes immersed in the rich artistic culture of the city’s black creatives. It is here that she discovers her true passion for the written word after reading his work at the Harlem Writers Guild. At the same time, she falls in love with a man who shows her that there is much more to life beyond the city.
on the pulse of the morning (1993)
read at the inauguration of president bill clinton in January 1993 in a public television broadcast, “in the pulse of the morning” sent a message of unity and equality to countless Americans in what the president called a ” electrifying reading. The landmark event saw Angelou bring his trademark poignant prose to a national stage.
“In my work, in everything I do, I want to say that human beings are more alike than we are different,” he told the Los Angeles Times in 1993, “and use that statement to break down the walls we set up between us because we’re different .”
you can watch angelou recite “in the pulse of the morning” here.
I wouldn’t take anything for my trip now (1993)
Shortly after her lauded poetry reading at the opening, Angelou published her first book of short essays. With lyrical prose, he will delight you with his thoughts on topics such as style, death, racism, and self-love, as well as how he feels the power of spirituality can help guide and fulfill your life.
phenomenal woman (1995)
this collection includes four of angelou’s most popular works: “phenomenal woman”, “i still rise”, “weekend glory” and “our grandmothers”, and each poem focuses on empowering women in everywhere.
letter to my daughter (2008)
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Through a series of heartfelt essays, angelou writes to the daughter she never had and actually opens up to the millions of fans she’s gained over the years. Through stories of her tumultuous youth, motherhood, loss, and personal growth, she provides a lesson in what it means to learn to find fulfillment despite life’s twists and turns.
mom & I & mom (2013)
For the first time in all of her memoirs, Angelou describes the strained relationship she shared with her mother, Vivian Baxter, who sent her to live with her grandmother when Angelou was just 3 years old. They are reunited 10 years later, but the writer’s lingering feelings of abandonment and resentment are what she must fight to overcome as she and Baxter work to repair her relationship.
a complete list of maya angelou’s works
poetrymaya angelou: the complete poetryrainbow in the cloudi know why the caged bird singsincredible peacejust give me a drink of fresh water before i dieoh i pray my wings fit me wellher day is overphenomenal womancelebrationa song Thrown up to the skyshaker, why don’t you sing? amazing peace and i still rise the complete collected poems of maya angelou
autobiographymom & I & mama singing and swinging and having fun like christmas all god’s children need travel shoes a woman’s heart will not move me gather in my name even the stars seem lonely letter to my daughter the collected autobiographies of maya angelou
childrenlife doesn’t scare me my painted house, my chicken friend and the memaya world series
cookbookshallelujah! the welcome tablegood food all day
religionwould not accept anything for my trip now
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