Racism: Racism in Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Social Issues in Literature)

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One of the first books to challenge prevailing stereotypes of African American women, Angelou’s autobiographical narrative of her childhood continues to be popular with teens, as well as with adults, nearly 40 years after it was first published. This lively collection of essays and articles looks at the personal, political, and literary issues surrounding I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1970), then and now. Major themes of the entries, many of which are written at a sophisticated level by college professors, include the civil rights struggle, Angelou’s relationship with and break from African American writing traditions, and how her book’s memories of childhood, which include a rape, were shaped by the adult looking back. The final section, “Contemporary Perspectives on Racism,” moves beyond Angelou’s book to consider the topic of racism more generally, ending with an appreciation of Barack Obama’s autobiography. Part of the Social Issues in Literature series, this is a great discussion title for high-school literature, history, and creative-writing classes. Grades 9-12. --Hazel Rochman