All I knew of Maya Angelou was that she was regarded as a great poet so I expected this to be a collection of poetry. What it turned out to be was a memoir written as though it were a novel written in the most poetic voice possible. Every sentence can be re-read and digested over and over again and still sound lovely and carry more meaning than the sum of the words to the tenth power. I can't believe a mortal could have such a powerful control over the English language as Maya Angelou exhibits in this book. Each chapter is very short between around two and six pages. The book is written in chronological order from Angelou at five years old through sixteen. Each chapter is about a separate event or person that stood out to her as important in forming who she became as a woman and how she saw life and humanity. The book is a coming of age story that observes the beauty and ugliness of humans and how we choose to react to those extremes. Her exposure to a wealth of obstacles, accomplishments, and experiences leaves you with a young woman branded by her life with a well rounded perspective. It explores the identity of blackness, the identity of womanhood, the conditions of poverty, and the complex relations of family, acquaintances, friends, and role models. I'm not sure if I would have fully understood the book had I read it as a teenager but I wish I had because this book is a definitive exploration of so many of the fears and insecurities we have as children and adolescents. This book is a milestone of human thought and the first book I would give to an alien race hoping to understand us.
