I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou) Book Review

2017 Reading Challenge

23. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
      Prompt: book by a person of color

Synopsis:
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 that love for herself, the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned.

My Review:

I've wanted to read this book for quite some time and I'm glad I finally got the chance to. Maya Angelou was a poignant and powerful woman in not only the US, but an inspiration for many around the world.

In this autobiography, Maya tells of her experiences of being a woman of color growing up as a child and adolescent in the South. Dealing with racial prejudice, abandonment, and getting sexually abused, she also told of her insecurities of being African American, as well as her image. For a female, it's quite common for us to question our image at some point in our lives no matter the color of our skin and it's very relatable when you're reading this book (obviously I can't relate to the African American side of it).

There are moments in life where we have to deal with the impact it leaves on us for the rest of our lives. For Maya, it was when she got sexually abused several times as a child. There's a pain and shame involved for victims that Maya had to start dealing with at such a young age. Writing of that time must have been freeing all the emotions of those experiences. In society to this very day, rape and sexual abuse are not really talked about because it's considered to be more or less a taboo topic for several reasons that I'm not going to get into at this time. But I don't think not talking about it really helps those victims to heal and realize that it wasn't their fault.

Maya was a survivor. The way she wrote about her experiences was interesting and poignant. Some parts of her story are relatable to every female. I did appreciate reading about how people of color see things in life. Too often, we see things one-sided when there are two sides to every story. Maya exhibited an incredible strength to write about some of horrific moments in her childhood. But she also wrote about times when she was able to celebrate little things, such as getting a new dress for Church, and you could celebrate those moments with her.

While Maya was going through these experiences and other hard times, she found an escape and comfort in reading (and food as well). I really enjoyed her sharing and describing her favorite books and authors she was reading (like Shakespeare), as I have always loved reading as well. Books have a way of taking you somewhere you can only imagine going to.

Maya exhibited that you can survive and be a role model for others going through similar experiences. I might create another post of some of my favorite quotes from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

~Meg~

Gone With the Wind (Margaret Mitchell) Book Review

2017 Reading Challenge

10. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
      Topic/Prompt: book you got from a used book sale (in my case, a used book store)

Synopsis:

The story is set in Clayton County, Georgia, and Atlanta during the American Civil War and Reconstruction era. It depicts the struggles of young Scarlett O'Hara, the spoiled daughter of a well-to-do plantation owner, who must use every means at her disposal to claw her way out of the poverty she finds herself in after Sherman's March to the Sea. A historical novel, the story is a Bildungsroman or coming-of-age story, with the title taken from a poem written by Ernest Dowson.

My Review:

I saw Gone With the Wind when I was about ten or so and enjoyed it, even though at that age, I probably didn't understand everything going on. I've wanted to read the book for awhile now before watching the movie again. 

This review has been so hard to write because as a popular American classic, everything that could be said about it has been said before. I will say that I'm glad I waited to read this book until my 30s because I can appreciate it more now than if I had read it as a teenager.

Everyone know the famous line from this when Rhett says, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." I'm pretty sure that everyone know what Gone With the Wind is about, so I'm not going to give too much depth into the plot.

Gone With the Wind is a rich historical novel about life before, during, and after the Civil War in the South. It delves into the times of racism on both sides of the spectrum, slavery, the Ku Klux Klan, politics, and the depths of the war taking place in Georgia (for the setting of the book). While I don't necessarily agree with racism and slavery, without writing about it would have made the book worthless. But considering this novel was written in the 1930's about the 1860's, it had to be included. It's all part of history and while racism still exists today, we can't forget about the past, as it shapes our world today. The characters are unforgettable and portrayed remarkably well for the time, for both blacks and whites, that this book was written. Margaret Mitchell did a great job with character development in the beginning and it made you feel like you knew them. Mammy is hands down one of the most memorable African American characters of all time.

Gone With the Wind follows the journey of Scarlett O'Hara during the time mentioned above. Yes, I couldn't stand her throughout most of the book. She starts out being a spoiled member of a wealthy family to losing it all when the Civil War starts. Then Scarlett does whatever it takes to keep Tara Plantation up and running, even if it involves deceit, betrayal, unethical business practices, and so much more. However, Scarlett is one of the strongest feminist characters you'll ever read about. There was so much she did despite what everyone else and society said and you have no choice but to respect that quality. I did like her transformation after the climax and the infamous line said to her at the end. She never gave up in her pursuit of survival and what she wanted. When she loses everything at the end (Rhett I'm talking about), Scarlett goes back to Tara Plantation and the caring hands of Mammy to rebuild herself back up in a time when you can't help but feel sorry for her. I love how, even in her grief and loneliness of losing Rhett, that the book ends with Scarlett thinking of a plan to win Rhett back.

Just like with Scarlett, I had a love-hate relationship with Rhett. While he was a caring father and loving husband at times, there were times when his ego and pride and the things he did made me mad at him lol. One of my favorite characters was Melanie because I could relate to her. She took everything in stride and mostly kept to herself, but she maintained a strong and powerful inner persona. I've already mentioned that Mammy is a memorable and strong African American character that kept Scarlett in line, the one person that Scarlett could count on to make everything better.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

~Meg~
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