Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 Thought Provoking September 30, 2000
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I came across this book as part of my degree. I read the Synopsis and expected an interesting if not distressing experience. What I got was a thought provoking amazingly overwhelming experience. Angelous' vivid account of her childhood is breath taking. There is no sign of bitterness at the traumatic experiences she encountered. In fact one realises that the events of the book are what made her who she is today.
TAKE MAYA's UNBELIVEABLE JOURNEY, YOU WON'T REGRET IT. October 30, 2003
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I must admit I wasn’t looking forward to reading this book but necessity prevailed, as it was part of my literature class!Maya gives a ‘fly on the wall’ experience throughout the book. Brilliantly written, it takes you on an emotional journey where you will experience anger that knots your stomach, sadness that burns your eyes and laughter that hurts your cheeks and bursts your rib cage [especially Chapter 6]. I will be ever indebted to my English tutor, Roy Allen, for choosing this book for our subject.
A worthwhile read October 21, 2006
S. Doherty (N.Ireland)
16 out of 17 found this review helpful
I am currently studying A-Level at secondary school, and as part of an english coursework project, I chose to study this book.
The topic for my coursework piece was the cause and effect of prejudice. This autobiographical novel was quite fitting, as it focusses on Maya Angelou, a young girl who, along with her brother, was left in the care of her grandmother and uncle, by their own parents. In the backward town of Stamps, Maya grows up in the 'black' area of the town, and the contact with the white population is so scarce that the girl even wonders at times if they really exist, or if the horrific stories she hears about them are made up.
Maya doesn't fit in in the coloured community, but nor does she fit in within the white community. Out of touch with everything around her, she says;
"If growing up is painful for the Southern black girl, being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor blade that threatens the throat."
Throughout her life, Maya goes through some horrific experiences; attacked by her mother-in-law, abandoned in the middle of Mexico, rape, a nervous disposition, and overcoming racial prejudice, and one can actually witness her growth as a result of all of this, through Angelou's evocative language.
It was very well written, with some astute imagery, which came in very useful for my coursework piece.
I compared it with To Kill A Mockingbird, if you're interested.
This is an amazing book November 15, 1999
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is an amazing book. It is not only a picture of southern Black life in 1930s America but a very personal account of a troubled and brave childhood. Maya Angelou can make you understand all the hardship she, and many like her, went through because of her colour, age and gender without ever indulging in self pitty. She writes with warm, flowing language rich with colour and texture. It made me angry at the world, it made me question why we don't tolerate and accept people. At the same time it made me happy and comforted in the knowledge that true acceptance lies within, not in the eyes of others. I loved it.
Unforgettable January 4, 2000
Mrs. S. E. Marchant (Stockton-on-Tees, UK)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
As an avid reader of autobiographies and non-fiction I can honestly say I have never read a book like this one. It is a beautifully written account beginning with Maya`s childhood, facing racism at every corner yet learning to hold her head up high and tackle the issue head on. Like the previous reviewer it left me feeling so angry at how human beings can treat one another, no matter what their colour. This is the first book of five documenting Maya`s life and I am now on the last one. If there`s one book you are going to buy this has to be it. Enjoy!
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