Rating: 
Summary: This book should be required reading for everyone!
Review: Maya Angelou is quite an author. Her writing style is so interesting and compelling. I read this book straight through - I simply could not put it down. After I finished this book, I read her other four biographical works, all very interesting, but I think "caged bird" was by far the best of the group. It is a book that gives you a deep abiding sense of compassion for the gross inequities of Jim Crow laws and it gave me a keyhole peak of what it meant to be black and poor. Maya's description of listening to the radio and cheering when Joe Louis won the heavyweight championship will always stay with me. She spoke about how it felt to see a black man triumph in the ring and that it was a victory for every black man, woman and child, as well. My words are so inadequate to express the depth of emotion and sense of joy which she conveyed so beautifully in her book. Read the book. You'll love it and be left with a treasure trove of memories and a deeper sense of compassion for all mankind.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Blow for Public Education
Review: I will admit that the honesty of the teenage reviewers is notonly dead-on, but at the same time, hilarious and disheartening....Ithought a lot of the standard classics, by anyone's standards, they had me read in high school were pretty boring, but now this? Fortunately, around 11th grade we started getting some works of substance and literary merit and I went on to a Ph.D in Comparative Literature. I may not use it, but I've read a lot of books and of all the possibilities on the shelf, this is what the educational system chooses to have kids read. Pretty sad. And even sadder is that these kids cut close to the bone.
Rating:
Summary: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings!
Review: Great Book! For those who have read it, Im sure hink the same. She is a great writer to keep you waiting what the end awaits.
Rating: 
Summary: Maya, the Queen of the English language
Review: As a teenage girl, i find Maya's enlightening autobio to be an uplifting source of entertainment and inspiration for me. While thoroughly intrigued by the story itself, Maya's use of the language is spectacular-evidence of her ability to write beautiful poetry is very prevalent. 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' is recommended to both those that are familiar with this remarkable woman and her work, as well as, to avid readers that are interested in becoming acquainted with this phenom.
Rating:
Summary: I Know Whay the Caged Bird Sings!
Review: This has to be the worst book ever written! I am reading thisfor english right now and I can't read two pages without fallingasleep. She goes on and on about things that don't pretain to the topic. I remember toward the begining of the book she spent half of a page on how she didn't steal a can of pinapples when she had the chance. So what! I don't steal stuff every day, and I don't write about it and bore people with it. What ever you do, don't buy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
Review: I thought this book was a good representation of the trials and tribulations of a young black girl growing up in the mid 20th century. However it was extremely boring and the only reason I kept reading it was because I had to read it for English Class. It was difficult to follow and the content may be inappropriate to younger readers.
Rating:
Summary: Maya as an inspiration for teachers
Review: While reading "...Caged Bird" I payed attention to Angelou's innovative writing style. She is of a new generation who dares to write about life as it really is. Instead of an autobiography that idealizes and candy-coats life, this book tells about life's embarassing and not-so-enjoyable details. I enjoyed this book. It was a fast and easy read. I would recommend it for older audiences (9th grade--on). Some of the content may not be appropriate for younger readers. Teachers: this book could be coupled with Mildred D. Taylor's "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry". It would be a great complement for authors like Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, Zora Neal Hurston, Jean Toomer, Walter Dean Myers,James Baldwin... for a unit on Multicultural American literature. You could address topics like: racism, rape, relocating and its adjustments, teen pregnancy, parental roles, autobiography writing styles... I'm a 21-year-old female studying to be an Enlish teacher.
Rating:
Summary: Why the Caged Bird Sings
Review: I began reading this book with great participation with the writer. But as it progressed it became a disgusting and embarrassing portrayal (betrayal) of all the black people. I hope that society doesn't confuse this writing with the true and moral family oriented black america.
Rating:
Summary: A HUMAN story
Review: Marguerite Angelou's story is in some ways a typical autobiography. The thing that sets it apart is the vivid imagery she weaves in telling the story. The one disappointment I had is how quickly the latter half of the book went. Anyone empathetic will appreciate the book for what it is - a unique story which strives to explain the events which shaped one woman's life. Anyone intelligent enough will be able to use it as part of the vast library of experiences which help us understand our own very human existence. Female-25
Rating: 
Summary: YAWN...............
Review: BELEIVE ME THIS BOOK WILL BORE YOU TO DEATH. THE ONLY REASON IM READING IT IS FOR MY 9TH GRADE ENGLISH CLASS. IF YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK FOR SCHOOL JUST RENT THE MOVIE SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO SPEND HOURS READING SO YOU CAN TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS ON THE PHONE.
| 
