Listen free for 30 days
-
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
- Narrated by: Maya Angelou
- Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Buy Now for $35.09
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Buy it with
-
The Heart of a Woman
- Written by: Maya Angelou
- Narrated by: Maya Angelou
- Length: 3 hrs and 1 min
- Abridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 14
In the fourth volume of her autobiography, The Heart of a Woman, Angelou's turbulent life breaks wide open with joy as the singer-dancer enters the razzle-dazzle of fabulous New York City. There, at the Harlem Writers Guild, her love for writing blazes anew. Her compassion and commitment lead her to respond to the fiery times by becoming the northern coordinator of Martin Luther King's history-making quest. A tempestuous, earthy woman, she promises her heart to one man only to have it stolen, virtually on her wedding day, by a passionate African freedom fighter.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
yes
- By Donna K on 2020-07-23
Written by: Maya Angelou
-
Mom & Me & Mom
- Written by: Maya Angelou
- Narrated by: Maya Angelou
- Length: 4 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 30
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 26
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 26
The story of Maya Angelou’s extraordinary life has been chronicled in her multiple best-selling autobiographies. But now, at last, the legendary author shares the deepest personal story of her life: her relationship with her mother. For the first time, Angelou reveals the triumphs and struggles of being the daughter of Vivian Baxter, an indomitable spirit whose petite size belied her larger-than-life presence - a presence absent during much of Angelou’s early life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Loved it.
- By Nneka Ezeanya on 2021-05-21
Written by: Maya Angelou
-
Letter to My Daughter
- Written by: Maya Angelou
- Narrated by: Maya Angelou
- Length: 2 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 53
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 45
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 45
Dedicated to the daughter she never had but sees all around her, Letter to My Daughter reveals Maya Angelou's path to living well and living a life with meaning. Told in her own inimitable style, this book transcends genres and categories: guidebook, memoir, poetry, and pure delight. Here in short spellbinding essays are glimpses of the tumultuous life that led Angelou to an exalted place in American letters and taught her lessons in compassion and fortitude.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Maya Stories
- By Andrea Richards on 2018-07-16
Written by: Maya Angelou
-
And Still I Rise (Unabridged Selections)
- A Book of Poems
- Written by: Maya Angelou
- Narrated by: Maya Angelou
- Length: 22 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 10
Maya Angelou’s unforgettable collection of poetry lends its name to the documentary film about her life, And Still I Rise, as seen on PBS’s American Masters. “It is true poetry she is writing,” M. F.K . Fisher has observed, “not just rhythm, the beat, rhymes. I find it very moving and at times beautiful. It has an innate purity about it, unquenchable dignity.... It is astounding, flabbergasting, to recognize it, in all the words I read every day and night...it gives me heart, to hear so clearly the caged bird singing and to understand her notes.”
Written by: Maya Angelou
-
Maya Angelou: The Autobiographies
- Six BBC Radio 4 Dramatisations
- Written by: Maya Angelou
- Narrated by: Pippa Bennett-Warner, Indie Gjesdal, full cast
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1
The books that make up the life and times of Maya Angelou are some of the best, most beautiful and haunting pieces of autobiography written. They run the gamut from life affirming to tragedy and back again with a tone that is a joyous, direct and searingly honest and are an extraordinary portrait of 20th century black America.
Written by: Maya Angelou
-
Finding Me
- A Memoir
- Written by: Viola Davis
- Narrated by: Viola Davis
- Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,483
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,326
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1,322
In my book, you will meet a little girl named Viola who ran from her past until she made a life-changing decision to stop running forever. This is my story, from a crumbling apartment in Central Falls, Rhode Island, to the stage in New York City, and beyond. This is the path I took to finding my purpose but also my voice in a world that didn’t always see me.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
We think we are alone…truth is, we are not.
- By RITU G on 2022-05-28
Written by: Viola Davis
-
The Heart of a Woman
- Written by: Maya Angelou
- Narrated by: Maya Angelou
- Length: 3 hrs and 1 min
- Abridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 14
In the fourth volume of her autobiography, The Heart of a Woman, Angelou's turbulent life breaks wide open with joy as the singer-dancer enters the razzle-dazzle of fabulous New York City. There, at the Harlem Writers Guild, her love for writing blazes anew. Her compassion and commitment lead her to respond to the fiery times by becoming the northern coordinator of Martin Luther King's history-making quest. A tempestuous, earthy woman, she promises her heart to one man only to have it stolen, virtually on her wedding day, by a passionate African freedom fighter.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
yes
- By Donna K on 2020-07-23
Written by: Maya Angelou
-
Mom & Me & Mom
- Written by: Maya Angelou
- Narrated by: Maya Angelou
- Length: 4 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 30
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 26
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 26
The story of Maya Angelou’s extraordinary life has been chronicled in her multiple best-selling autobiographies. But now, at last, the legendary author shares the deepest personal story of her life: her relationship with her mother. For the first time, Angelou reveals the triumphs and struggles of being the daughter of Vivian Baxter, an indomitable spirit whose petite size belied her larger-than-life presence - a presence absent during much of Angelou’s early life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Loved it.
- By Nneka Ezeanya on 2021-05-21
Written by: Maya Angelou
-
Letter to My Daughter
- Written by: Maya Angelou
- Narrated by: Maya Angelou
- Length: 2 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 53
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 45
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 45
Dedicated to the daughter she never had but sees all around her, Letter to My Daughter reveals Maya Angelou's path to living well and living a life with meaning. Told in her own inimitable style, this book transcends genres and categories: guidebook, memoir, poetry, and pure delight. Here in short spellbinding essays are glimpses of the tumultuous life that led Angelou to an exalted place in American letters and taught her lessons in compassion and fortitude.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Maya Stories
- By Andrea Richards on 2018-07-16
Written by: Maya Angelou
-
And Still I Rise (Unabridged Selections)
- A Book of Poems
- Written by: Maya Angelou
- Narrated by: Maya Angelou
- Length: 22 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 10
Maya Angelou’s unforgettable collection of poetry lends its name to the documentary film about her life, And Still I Rise, as seen on PBS’s American Masters. “It is true poetry she is writing,” M. F.K . Fisher has observed, “not just rhythm, the beat, rhymes. I find it very moving and at times beautiful. It has an innate purity about it, unquenchable dignity.... It is astounding, flabbergasting, to recognize it, in all the words I read every day and night...it gives me heart, to hear so clearly the caged bird singing and to understand her notes.”
Written by: Maya Angelou
-
Maya Angelou: The Autobiographies
- Six BBC Radio 4 Dramatisations
- Written by: Maya Angelou
- Narrated by: Pippa Bennett-Warner, Indie Gjesdal, full cast
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1
The books that make up the life and times of Maya Angelou are some of the best, most beautiful and haunting pieces of autobiography written. They run the gamut from life affirming to tragedy and back again with a tone that is a joyous, direct and searingly honest and are an extraordinary portrait of 20th century black America.
Written by: Maya Angelou
-
Finding Me
- A Memoir
- Written by: Viola Davis
- Narrated by: Viola Davis
- Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,483
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,326
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1,322
In my book, you will meet a little girl named Viola who ran from her past until she made a life-changing decision to stop running forever. This is my story, from a crumbling apartment in Central Falls, Rhode Island, to the stage in New York City, and beyond. This is the path I took to finding my purpose but also my voice in a world that didn’t always see me.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
We think we are alone…truth is, we are not.
- By RITU G on 2022-05-28
Written by: Viola Davis
-
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
- A BBC Radio 4 Dramatisation
- Written by: Maya Angelou
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh, Cecilia Noble, full cast, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 8 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 4
Abandoned by their parents, Maya and her older brother, Bailey, are sent to live with their grandmother and uncle in the small Southern town of Stamps in Arkansas. Struggling with rejection, they endure the prejudice of their white neighbours and suffer several racist incidents. One day, their father unexpectedly returns and takes the children to live with their mother in St Louis, Missouri. Aged only eight, Maya is abused by her mother's boyfriend, an experience that haunts her for a lifetime.
Written by: Maya Angelou
-
The Bluest Eye
- Written by: Toni Morrison
- Narrated by: Toni Morrison
- Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 132
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 112
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 112
It is the story of 11-year-old Pecola Breedlove--a black girl in an America whose love for its blond, blue-eyed children can devastate all others--who prays for her eyes to turn blue: so that she will be beautiful, so that people will look at her, so that her world will be different. This is the story of the nightmare at the heart of her yearning and the tragedy of its fulfillment.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Thought provoking...well done narrative
- By MalMelMac on 2019-08-21
Written by: Toni Morrison
-
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
- Written by: Joan Didion
- Narrated by: Diane Keaton
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 45
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 37
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 37
Universally acclaimed from the time it was first published in 1968, Slouching Towards Bethlehem has been admired for decades as a stylistic masterpiece. Academy Award-winning actress Diane Keaton (Annie Hall, The Family Stone) performs these classic essays, including the title piece, which will transport the listener back to a unique time and place: the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco during the neighborhood’s heyday as a countercultural center.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Poetic book marred by sloppy narration
- By Jay on 2023-02-09
Written by: Joan Didion
-
Amazing Peace and Other Poems
- And Other Poems by Maya Angelou
- Written by: Maya Angelou
- Narrated by: Maya Angelou
- Length: 29 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2
"Amazing Peace" is a beautiful and deeply moving poem from Maya Angelou. Here she inspires us to embrace the peace and promise of Christmas, so that hope and love can once again light up our holidays and the world. "Angels and Mortals, Believers and Nonbelievers, look heavenward," she writes, "and speak the word aloud. Peace." "Amazing Peace" is Maya Angelou's radiant affirmation of the goodness of life and is a touching celebration of the "Glad Season" that will resonate with people of all faiths.
Written by: Maya Angelou
-
A Song Flung Up to Heaven
- Written by: Maya Angelou
- Narrated by: Maya Angelou
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1
This is the next installment in a six volume autobiography that began more than thirty years ago with the appearance of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. In A Song Flung Up to Heaven Maya Angelou describes her poignant encounters with Martin Luther King, Jr.; her work with the civil rights movement; and witnessing the Watts riots. Battered by the loss of revered black leaders, it takes writer James Baldwin to finally force her out of isolation with a dinner party that inspired her to write.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Loving Maya
- By Sssg on 2021-08-10
Written by: Maya Angelou
-
Beloved
- Written by: Toni Morrison
- Narrated by: Toni Morrison
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 138
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 123
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 123
Staring unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery, this spellbinding novel transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby. Sethe, its protagonist, was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but 18 years later she is still not free. She has too many memories of Sweet Home, the beautiful farm where so many hideous things happened. And Sethe's new home is haunted by the ghost of her baby, who died nameless and whose tombstone is engraved with a single word: Beloved.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A literary must read.
- By Travelmug on 2019-01-03
Written by: Toni Morrison
-
Dreams from My Father
- A Story of Race and Inheritance
- Written by: Barack Obama
- Narrated by: Barack Obama
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 34
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 28
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 28
In this lyrical, unsentimental, and compelling memoir, the son of a Black African father and a White American mother searches for a workable meaning to his life as a Black American. It begins in New York, where Barack Obama learns that his father - a figure he knows more as a myth than as a man - has been killed in a car accident. This sudden death inspires an emotional odyssey - first to a small town in Kansas, from which he retraces the migration of his mother’s family to Hawaii, and then to Kenya, where he meets the African side of his family.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great!
- By Anonymous User on 2022-07-22
Written by: Barack Obama
-
Bossypants
- Written by: Tina Fey
- Narrated by: Tina Fey
- Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,066
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 892
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 890
Before Liz Lemon, before Weekend Update, before Sarah Palin, Tina Fey was just a young girl with a dream: A recurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher. She also had a dream that one day she would be a comedian on TV. She has seen both these dreams come true. At last, Tina Fey's story can be told. From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live. Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we've always suspected: You're no one until someone calls you bossy.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
funny!
- By Deanna La Jambe on 2019-06-07
Written by: Tina Fey
-
Recitatif
- A Story
- Written by: Toni Morrison, Zadie Smith - Introduction
- Narrated by: Zadie Smith, Bahni Turpin
- Length: 1 hr and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3
In this 1983 short story - the only short story Morrison ever wrote - we meet Twyla and Roberta, who have known each other since they were eight years old and spent four months together as roommates in St. Bonaventure shelter. Inseparable then, they lose touch as they grow older, only later to find each other again at a diner, a grocery store, and again at a protest. Seemingly at opposite ends of every problem, and at each other's throats each time they meet, the two women still cannot deny the deep bond their shared experience has forged between them.
Written by: Toni Morrison, and others
-
The Bell Jar
- Written by: Sylvia Plath
- Narrated by: Maggie Gyllenhaal
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 234
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 200
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 200
Read by the critically acclaimed actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. When Esther Greenwood wins an internship at a New York fashion magazine in 1953, she is elated, believing she will finally realise her dream to become a writer. But in between the cocktail parties and piles of manuscripts, Esther's life begins to slide out of control. She finds herself spiralling into depression and eventually a suicide attempt as she grapples with difficult relationships and a society which refuses to take women's aspirations seriously.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Bell Jar
- By R.Redd on 2019-07-17
Written by: Sylvia Plath
-
Unbound
- My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement
- Written by: Tarana Burke
- Narrated by: Tarana Burke
- Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 133
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 118
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 118
From the founder and activist behind one of the largest movements of the 20th and 21st centuries, the "me too" movement, Tarana Burke debuts a powerful memoir about her own journey to saying those two simple yet infinitely powerful words - me too - and how she brought empathy back to an entire generation in one of the largest cultural events in American history.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Powerful
- By Holly S. on 2022-07-28
Written by: Tarana Burke
-
Somebody's Daughter
- A Memoir
- Written by: Ashley C. Ford
- Narrated by: Ashley C. Ford
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 66
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 55
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 54
Through poverty, adolescence, and a fraught relationship with her mother, Ashley Ford wishes she could turn to her father for hope and encouragement. There are just a few problems: he’s in prison, and she doesn’t know what he did to end up there. She doesn’t know how to deal with the incessant worries that keep her up at night, or how to handle the changes in her body that draw unwanted attention from men. In her search for unconditional love, Ashley begins dating a boy her mother hates.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Such an Incredible Journey
- By Amazon Customer on 2021-08-18
Written by: Ashley C. Ford
Publisher's Summary
Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local “powhitetrash”. At eight years old and back at her mother’s side in St. Louis, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age - and has to live with the consequences for a lifetime.
Years later, in San Francisco, Maya learns about love for herself and the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors (“I met and fell in love with William Shakespeare”) will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned.
Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a modern American classic that will touch hearts and change minds for as long as people read - or listen.
What the critics say
Featured Article: 18 Best Feminist Audiobooks to Empower You
Learn more about equality with this list of feminist audiobooks to inspire and empower you. These authors look at the constraints and constructs society has formed to define the female voice.
More from the same
What listeners say about I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amanda
- 2018-04-04
brilliant
Great listen. was hooked from the first chapter. powerful imagery and detailed character development left me in awe.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr.Lynn Bovingdon
- 2020-09-04
Her reading and writing style keeps you wanting .
I love her! I have always wanted to know more about her now I have to know more. This book makes us wonder how she was able to accomplish what she became. A strong will is her key. A reader must become comfortable with Ms. Angelou's reading style.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Catherine Mauro
- 2020-07-22
incredible
This should be on every grade 11 mandatory reading list. 10/10 would definitely recommend. Bravo
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Neha Pathak
- 2018-09-19
Absolutely incredible!
such an inspirational and heart wrenching story. very emotional and her voice is so beautiful.
#Audible1
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Utilisateur anonyme
- 2023-03-28
Wonderful to Experience
This book had me laughing, gasping in awe, and crying. To hear Maya's story is to know that we are more alike than different. Maya is to be applaused for her strength and fortitude. This was a story well told. Thank you for sharing.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Cameron millband
- 2023-03-14
One of the most beautiful books I’ve ever experienced
This book reads like poetry. I can’t imagine reading this account of Ms. Angelou’s life and not feeling moved by all she has experienced and overcome. It is beautiful and heartbreaking in equal parts but endlessly captivating. I will read it again.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jennifer P.
- 2022-09-07
Even More Poignant when Read by the Author
This was such a deep listen particularly because it was read by Maya Angelou. Loved it, will be listening to it again and again.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2022-09-01
This Angel
I’m so enthralled by the magnetic energy and brilliance of this author- just enjoyed this from start to finish.
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Natasha Hill
- 2022-02-12
I know I should be blown away but....
I have heard about this book in pop culture and referenced endlessly, so I wanted to be blown away, but on several occasions, I wanted to get my credit back. The narrating was annoying.Yes Angelou narrates but she too often paused mid sentence which took away from the flow.Her energy draining tone dragged the book along even after increasing the speed. The story itself is just okay.I wasn't blown away. The scene at 8yrs old was a confusing take on that type of trauma but I am assuming her 'liking' it was referencing her innocence and inexperience of such things. Everything that happened was just 'meh'. The ending was abrupt in the midst of a major life event..a part 2 must be somewhere. I admire her as a person, a phenomenon but I cant listen again.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Utilisateur anonyme
- 2022-01-18
Wonderful
I felt honoured to have shared in this journey. Thank you so much for sharing.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Miss Toni
- 2013-06-30
Emotional & Powerful
I dont know if I should be admitting this but I am, this was my first Maya Angelou book. I mean, I remember reading this book in early grade school but as a child I could have never grasped the meaning. Reading this story now as an adult I appreciate her honesty. Her narrative tone placed me by her side. I walked with her, laughed with her, hurt with her, and hugged her. This story took me to the place when I questioned my placement in the world and my natural beauty. I applaud Maya Angelou for being ever so brave to share her story. This story has encouraged me to always remain true to myself, seek the guidence of the Lord , and never never lose my faith. Thank you for writing this story.
110 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Candy Mae Dungca
- 2014-07-24
loved it!
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
yes, already have. triumph over adversity, an amazing story of the human experience at its worst and very best.
What was one of the most memorable moments of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings?
my most memorable was, as children, Maya and her brother Bailey laughing uncontrollably during church service when the preacher's false teeth fell out onto the floor.
What about Maya Angelou’s performance did you like?
her narration colored the story so vividly that I could often imagine exactly what these places, faces and things would be and feel like.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I felt the highs and lows of the human experience as Maya may have wanted her audience to. I never cried, but surely did laugh when it was funny. I felt a greater appreciation for Ms. Angelou and the amazing light she was to so many, myself included.
Any additional comments?
its a long audiobook, but worth the listen as so much of our life's journey takes twists and turns we can only understand in retrospect, this book shared the hope that we are given life's lemons to make amazing lemonade.
29 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Brian B.
- 2014-02-21
Just like listening to Grandma tell you stories
If you could sum up I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in three words, what would they be?
Real
Horrific
Delightful
What did you like best about this story?
I loved the glimpses allowed into the mind of Maya, the way she thought, the way she saw the world.
Which scene was your favorite?
"Preach it!"
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Several moments in this book were life-changing for Maya, but hearing her tell them was life-changing for me.
Any additional comments?
It's difficult to hear of the hardships and struggles of a young girl, but it is also good to see the strength and resilience of the human spirit.
28 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- KG
- 2014-07-28
So good.
If you could sum up I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in three words, what would they be?
Raw honest writing.
What does Maya Angelou bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Just hearing the voice of the person who had the experiences in the book adds so much.
26 people found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Joseph
- 2012-03-22
Pretentious, conceited, self-important
Is there anything you would change about this book?
Maya should have listened to other audiobooks and found out how much a good reading of a book enhances that book. Her self-reading was the worst narration I have heard and interfered with my enjoyment and appreciation of the book. I read the critical praises of the book and asked myself if they were reading the same book. When I filtered out the effect of her narration, I appreciated the book more.
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
Her cross-bearing, chip-on-her-shoulder attitude and beliefs are at once both the most interesting and least interesting aspect of the book. She thinks she is the only one in the world that had to struggle and overcome. She will probably attribute my lack of appreaciation of the book to my white skin.
How could the performance have been better?
Her jerky performance could have been improved by having any professional reader do the performance.
If this book were a movie would you go see it?
No. It would be very difficult for a screen writer to make it an interesting movie.
20 people found this helpful
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- SJ
- 2014-10-18
Maya was a great writer; not so much reader
What did you like best about I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings? What did you like least?
It was hard to get through as the author was a TERRIBLE reader. She ruined her story with her dreadful performance.
Would you be willing to try another book from Maya Angelou? Why or why not?
Not with her reading it.
Would you be willing to try another one of Maya Angelou’s performances?
Absolutely not.
Any additional comments?
Great example of stick to what you're good at.
18 people found this helpful
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Joseph
- 2014-07-24
Blahh
That's it, no more audio books narrated by the author. I know that we speak her name, and may she rest in peace, but in my opinion, Maya Angelou's reading of her own work was horrible. It was as if she forgot her reading glasses and was struggling to read the words. I found it very annoying.
I did not enjoy this book.
17 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kathy
- 2011-11-25
Amazing! Awesome!
I love Maya Angelou!
Her voice and her story are incredible. Listening to her tell it is like having my own private sessions with this incredible woman.
17 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2014-07-21
Inspirational!
What made the experience of listening to I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings the most enjoyable?
Definitely having the author narrate the book.
What other book might you compare I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings to and why?
The Color Purple
Have you listened to any of Maya Angelou’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I have listened to her poetry. Never an entire book. It was great! She became every character.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I understood it better with the author reading it. Through her voice I was more aware of how she experienced various situations.
16 people found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anna
- 2013-03-19
Expected More, but Good Nonetheless
What did you like best about I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings? What did you like least?
I loved Maya Angelou's reading of the book. The story was interesting but not riveting because it simply listed and did not delve into events.
Was I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings worth the listening time?
It was, if only to become more acquainted with Maya Angelou.
15 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Utilisateur anonyme
- 2019-01-10
Loved it
Beautiful story of Maya Angelou’s early childhood. Beautifully told! Her reading lilt took 10 mins to get used to then added to the power of her story telling.