Book Report on Maya Angelou's "The Heart of a Woman"
Maya Angelou’s The Heart of a Woman
Maya Angelou chose to exercise her own quote, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you,” through her various autobiographies and poems. She did this so that readers may discover her extraordinary past and possibly even learn from it. Formerly known as Marguerite Johnson, Angelou was born on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri and was raised in Stamps, Arkansas. She is an African American female author, poet, playwright, and actress and is mostly associated with her most popular autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. One of her writings, The Heart of a Woman is the fourth of six autobiographies that was published in 1981 and it narrates her life from 1957-1962. Throughout this six-year span, Maya Angelou encountered many trials, migrations, and famous exposures. These include struggling to survive as a single mother and a full-time dancer in addition to living a monogamous lifestyle, frequently migrating with her son Guy, and meeting famous people such as Billie Holiday, Malcolm X, and even Martin Luther King, Jr. By 1981, Angelou already had a considerable amount of fame due to her previous three autobiographies and the publication of three volumes of poetry. In 1997, The Heart of a Woman became a selection in Oprah Winfrey’s book club. According to writer Hilton Als, she was one of the first African American female writers to publicly discuss her personal life and include herself as a central character in her books, which she continued to do in The Heart of a Woman. I chose to report on The Heart of a Woman not only because Maya Angelou is my favorite author, but also because her books portrays life during the abolitionist period in the United States. In addition, I value the fact that she is very sincere while exposing herself in her writings despite her rape and her consequent period of prostitution. In The Heart of a Woman, Maya Angelou expresses themes in regards to race, motherhood and
Maya Angelou chose to exercise her own quote, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you,” through her various autobiographies and poems. She did this so that readers may discover her extraordinary past and possibly even learn from it. Formerly known as Marguerite Johnson, Angelou was born on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri and was raised in Stamps, Arkansas. She is an African American female author, poet, playwright, and actress and is mostly associated with her most popular autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. One of her writings, The Heart of a Woman is the fourth of six autobiographies that was published in 1981 and it narrates her life from 1957-1962. Throughout this six-year span, Maya Angelou encountered many trials, migrations, and famous exposures. These include struggling to survive as a single mother and a full-time dancer in addition to living a monogamous lifestyle, frequently migrating with her son Guy, and meeting famous people such as Billie Holiday, Malcolm X, and even Martin Luther King, Jr. By 1981, Angelou already had a considerable amount of fame due to her previous three autobiographies and the publication of three volumes of poetry. In 1997, The Heart of a Woman became a selection in Oprah Winfrey’s book club. According to writer Hilton Als, she was one of the first African American female writers to publicly discuss her personal life and include herself as a central character in her books, which she continued to do in The Heart of a Woman. I chose to report on The Heart of a Woman not only because Maya Angelou is my favorite author, but also because her books portrays life during the abolitionist period in the United States. In addition, I value the fact that she is very sincere while exposing herself in her writings despite her rape and her consequent period of prostitution. In The Heart of a Woman, Maya Angelou expresses themes in regards to race, motherhood and