I can not believe that I had not read I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings before just a few weeks ago. I understand now why so many women of color have such a special connection with this book. At 32, I consider myself pretty well read. However, never had I read such a book as this one. Maya Angelou's story is deeply personal and some of her life experiences seem so close to my own. I can imagine another brown skinned, awkward young girl running around outside with friends. Enjoying summer church picnics and reading books by Dickens and Bronte. Like Angelou I was raised by my grandmother; who was also a strict woman. But was not very religious. If it had not been for my stepmother and a friend in high school I would not have been introduced to Christianity. (Even though I said prayers daily and could recite The Lord's Prayer). Another thing that Maya and I did not have in common: the surroundings in which we grew up and the era in which we grew up.
Maya Angelou grew up in rural Stamps, Arkansas; a small town, the area that she lived in was segregated and she attended a segregated school. Her upbringing was closer to my own Grandmothers. My gran grew up in a small, one stoplight town in Maryland named Greensboro. I on the other hand...did not have to deal with a segregated school or deal with the challenges of living in a small rural area. (Mind you I don't live in a bustling metro area either.) One of the things about Angelou's book that really resonated with me was the way that she always seemed to be conscious of her blackness. Her "otherness". However, her response to it was different from anyway that I have ever read it described. She was taught to have pride in her color. She saw nothing wrong with being colored. She was not aware that there was really anything different about her. However, "white folks" where different. They behaved, dressed and ate differently then she and her family. This was comical to me and understandable.
I can think back to a time when I was never aware of my difference from anyone else. However, that changed at about age 9 or 10 when I was called the N word by a classmate during summer break. That was the first time I was aware that there was a difference; it was the first time I had to have "the talk" with my grandmother. In this book Angelou has a similar incident with a dentist; while suffering with a toothache her grandmother took her to the only dentist in the area. The man flat out refused to help young Maya; he even went so far as to say he would never put his hands in a dogs mouth than that of a nigger. Of course, Mayas's grandmother will not be disrespected and sends Maya off the porch to wait as she goes into the office to deal with the mans disrespect. The was my favorite scene in the book because Maya, with her childhood imagination, imagines her grandmother as a superhero. Defending her honor and telling that man what's what. Especially since the man was to good to help them but was not to good to come to Maya's grandmother (who owned the general store in Stamps) for a loan. Like Maya, I was always a bit amazed by my grandmother. She was my superhero. Of course, it was not until I was older and wiser that I saw her humanity; however, she will never really come all the way down to my level. She will always be a woman of wisdom in which to learn from - flaws and all.
Angelou's book is one that I hope to return to a few years from now. And a book I hope to share with other young women and even some young men. There is so much in this book that we could all learn from. There is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom in this tomes pages.
I gave I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings 5/5 stars on goodreads.com
Here are a few quotes that I loved:
"Words mean more that what us set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them wit the shades of deeper meaning."
"The Black woman in the south who raises sons, grandsons and nephews had her heartstrings tied to a hanging noose"
"It was awful to be Negro and have no control over my life. It was brutal to be young and already trained to sit quietly and listen to charges brought against my color with no chance of defense."
"Sympathy is next to shit in the dictionary, and I can't even read."
"All knowledge is spendable currency, depending on the market"
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