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Ratings: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Genre: Non-Fiction / Biography / Autobiography / Memoir / African American Studies

Book Review:
''I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings'' by Maya Angelou is the first volume of her enthralling autobiography, and it is a testament to the talents and resilience of this extraordinary writer. Loving the world, she also knows its cruelty. As a black woman, she has known discrimination and extreme poverty, but also hope and joy, achievement and celebration.

In this first volume, Angelou beautifully evokes her childhood with her grandmother in the American South of the 1930s. She learns the power of the white folks at the other end of town and suffers the terrible trauma of rape by her mother's lover.

Angelou's writing is lyrical, poignant, and deeply moving. This is a truly phenomenal book from a truly phenomenal woman. If you enjoy memoirs, biographies, or African American history, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a must-read. Highly recommended!