Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Average Customer Rating:

Good & beautifully written but in some ways Maya's not a role model

Customer Rating:

Loved reading this book - very poetic & completely devoid of self-pity despite Maya's obviously deprived background & her having been the victim of extensive racial prejudice. My only issue with it is how Maya who seems to be an extremely intelligent woman, doesn't ask herself whether it is a good thing that she had a baby resulting from an apparent one-night stand @ 16 - it seems that casual sex was almost expected & her Mum almost wanted her to be sleeping with strangers. She does seem to have come from the type of background placing her at risk of teenage pregnancy but maybe should have put a 'health warning' on young readers warning them not to indulge in risky sexual behaviours as getting pregnant at 16 is (despite what Maya seems to think) hardly something to be proud of.

Honest, explicit and a fearless pen

Customer Rating:

I learnt alot about American history and life in various cities in the US. This book is the autobiography of one of the most powerful women in America who lives, works and rose against the odds. This book must be deposited in every library around the world that women may read, learn and understand that life and its beauty in is doing different things under different and difficult circumstances which sometimes are cruel, nasty or not understandable to our way of life. "... his teeth fell, no actually his teeth jumped, out of his mouth. ... grinning uppers and lowers lay by my right shoe, looking empty and ... contain all the emptiness in the world ... Sister Monroe was struggling with his coat, and men had to all but picked her up to remove her from the building ... 'Naked I came into this world, and naked I shall go out.' (pages 47) - made me laugh so much. I also cried during the read on the fears of running a small family shop. I know those fears well. I felt those fears and I waited for those fears every day then. The book is dedicated to all the Strong Black Birds of promise but reading it is an asset to any Bird who wants life to be one of promise and hope. What I take away most from this read is not to be ashamed of writing my truth. This reading gave me enough reasons why I should celebrate womanhood. The reading ended only after I felt and realised Freedom of the Press in the United States of America.

A book to keep and re-read	Customer Rating:
I originally studied this book at A-level; I love it and have read it three times more since finishing the course. This book will definitely have a permanent position on my book shelf.

Why does the caged bird sing?

Customer Rating:

It's simply this - he's deliriously happy that he's only a spectator in the madness of life. Did Maya secretly wish that she could observe her life from the safety of a cage instead of having the starring role? In fact is that how she coped at all? Fantastic story. Full of racial prejudice (from both sides). But it's in examining the reasons for that prejudice that your empathy for Maya really grows. All kinds of parallels can be drawn between this book and The Color Purple and To Kill A Mocking Bird.

A great gift

Customer Rating:

I was given this book as a gift and am grateful to the giver for introducing me to this incredible woman. As a life coach I found her life journey of personal growth a great lesson on how you cannot change your situation but you can certainly change how you respond to it and that comes through in her character. I've seen her interviewed and her dignity and achievement shine throug and that's truely inspiring.