I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS

Feast on American life and history through Maya Angelou's narration of her memoir. The late author's voice augments the grief, wit, and grace of her words, first published in 1969. Growing up in the 1930s and '40s, Marguerite Johnson (Angelou) and her brother, Bailey, shuffle between relatives' homes in Arkansas, Missouri, and California. Sister and brother spend most of their childhood with a beloved grandmother in the Deep South, where Angelou's dignified reading of "powhitetrash" racism and community faith grounds the listener. (Her earthy song and praise in church puts us in the pews.) Angelou's careful reading of her childhood rape and teenage pregnancy forges the perfect tone--dignity over disorder. Her voice is nonpareil in this performance: Angelou embodies the African American experience. E.S.B. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2021]