“The fact that the adult American Negro female emerges a formidable character is often met with amazement, distaste and even belligerence. It is seldom accepted as an inevitable outcome of the struggle won by survivors and deserves respect if not enthusiastic acceptance.”
This book is about several things. It is the autobiography of Maya Angelou’s first 16 years of life. It is also the story of strong black women as evidenced by the quote above which is towards the end of the book. It is about the black experience growing up in a racially divided world. It is about folks making it the best they can under those conditions. And under all this is the story of surviving sexual abuse.
The first strong woman we encounter is Momma, her father’s mother who lives in Stamps, Arkansas. Stamps is in the southwest corner of Arkansas, a poor region in one of the poorest states in the Union. Momma ran “the only Negro general merchandise store since the turn of the century” in that part of Arkansas. And Momma did reasonable well for herself. She is in a financial position where she has white renters, and at times loaned money to white people. She is also old school religious. After her son and Maya’s mother split the blanket, Maya and her brother are unceremoniously placed with their grandmother. Continue reading “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou”