Through the most effortless and beautiful language, Maya Angelou illustrates the power of words, and reminds us why we read.
This memoir provides a glimpse into her early life, describing the injustices of American racism and oppression as a little black girl’s norm. To Angelou, books were an escape, and she devoured complicated classics at a young age – both shaping her path in literature as well as shattering the stereotype of a poor, illiterate black girl.
Her memoir begins in Stamps, Arkansas, where she and her brother, Bailey, live with their Grandmother. Through the eyes of a child, we read about her experiences with racism, sexual assault, and her belief in the power of literature. The most heartbreaking narrative is when 8-year-old Maya is raped. You can only cry as you read about her innocence, as she does not even recognize that the man’s actions are inherently evil. After she testifies in court, lying that the rape was the first time she was inappropriately touched, her rapist was found dead. She rationalizes these events by believing in the power of her words – that her ill speech brought upon a man’s death. She then embarks on self-imposed years of silence, talking to no one but her brother. Reading was what helped her cope, pulling her out of the trauma.
Through these difficult chapters, I could almost feel Angelou, sitting beside me and comforting me through the pages, when all I wanted to do was put my arms around 8-year-old Maya and convince her and myself that it would be okay.
In a 1970 interview, Maya Angelou says that “she did not set out to make…a powerful statement about the courage and fortitude of black women.” In telling her truth in the most authentic way imaginable, she does show the bravery and grace of a black woman – as a survivor of assault, a grandmother of black boys in this white world, and a mentor who threw Angelou her “first life line.” From her journey as a three-year-old to a sixteen-year-old mother, Angelou has been deemed as a symbol for black girls everywhere, and her book, the highest standard for a memoir.
As I continued through the book, I could not forget that many of these struggles with race and gender still exist today. While Angelou’s story dates to the 30’s and 40’s, the issues of oppression and white supremacy are no different than those of the present. I picked up this book for two reasons: to finally experience the excellence Maya Angelou’s legacy exudes, and to provide a glimpse into the black female experience, as we all strive to be better allies.
I am hopeful that through educating ourselves and taking real, tangible action, the ‘caged birds’ will be free again.