Mom and me and mom maya angelou free pdf

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Maya Angelou Date: Dec. 21, 2017 From: Contemporary Black Biography Publisher: Gale Document Type: Biography Length: 3,017 words Content Level: (Level 4) Lexile Measure: 1280L

About this Person Born: April 04, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri, United States Died: May 28, 2014 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States Nationality: American Occupation: Writer Other Names: Johnson, Marguerite; Johnson, Marguerite Ann; Johnson, Marguerite Annie Updated:Dec. 21, 2017 The life experiences of Maya Angelou--author, poet, actress, singer, dancer, playwright, director, producer--became the cornerstone of her most acclaimed work, a multivolume autobiography that traces the foundations of her identity as a twentieth-century American black woman. Beginning with the best-selling I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou's autobiographical books chart her beginnings in rural segregated Arkansas and urban St. Louis, her turbulent adolescence in California through her adult triumphs as a performing artist and writer, her work in the civil rights movement, her travels to Africa, and her return to the United States. "One of the geniuses of Afro-American serial autobiography," according to Houston A. Baker in the New York Times Book Review, Angelou has been praised for the rich and insightful prose of her narratives and for offering what many observers feel is an indispensable record of black experience. Author James Baldwin wrote on the publication of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: "This testimony from a Black sister marks the beginning of a new era in the minds and hearts and lives of all Black men and women." In 2013 she published her last book, Mom &Me & Mom, which tells the story of her relationship with her mother. Angelou died at her home on May 28, 2014.

Early Life

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Angelou was sent at the age of three to live with her paternal grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas, an event that served as the starting point for I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. The book depicts Angelou's early years in Stamps, where her grandmother ran the town's only African American-owned general store, and is a revealing portrait of the customs and harsh circumstances of black life in the segregated South. Economic hardship, murderous hate, and ingrained denigration were part of daily life in Stamps, and Angelou translates their impact on her early years. "If growing up is painful for the Southern Black girl, being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat," she wrote in the book. "It is an unnecessary insult."

Angelou also spent part of her youth in St. Louis, Missouri, with her mother--a glamorous and dynamic figure who occasionally worked as a nightclub performer. The book concludes with Angelou's early adolescent years in California and the birth of her illegitimate son, Guy. Much of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is grim--particularly Angelou's rape at the age of eight--yet it marks her distinct ability to recollect personal truth through insightful and powerful images, sights, and language. Angelou earned high marks from critics who praised her narrative skills and eloquent prose. Christopher Lehmann-Haupt in the New York Times called I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings "a carefully wrought, simultaneously touching and comic memoir ... [the] beauty [of which] is not in the story but in the telling."

Angelou's next volume of autobiography, Gather Together in My Name, begins with Angelou leaving her mother's home in California at the age of seventeen to forge an independent life with her infant son. The book describes the chaotic years that follow, during which Angelou worked a variety of jobs--cook, waitress, brothel madam--and also suffered a brief drug addiction. Selwyn R. Cudjoe in Black Women Writers (1950-1980) noted that the book describes how "rural dignity gives way to the alienation and destruction of urban life.... The violation which began in Caged Bird takes on a much sharper focus in Gather Together.... The author is still concerned with the question of what it means to be Black and female in America, but her development is ... subjected to certain social forces which assault the black woman with unusual intensity."

In the 1950s Angelou embarked upon a career as a stage performer, working as an actress, singer, and dancer. Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas recounts Angelou's transition from late adolescence to early adulthood, when she began to define herself as a performing artist. She toured Europe with a U.S. State Department production of the black opera Porgy and Bess in the mid-1950s, a period that became a turning point in her life. While with the theater company, Angelou began to link the turmoil of her past with her identity as a black adult, and as Cudjoe commented, the book documents the "personal triumph of [a] remarkable black woman." Cudjoe wrote: "The pride which she takes in her company's professionalism, their discipline onstage, and the wellspring of spirituality that the opera emoted, all seem to conduce toward an organic harmony of her personal history as it intertwined with the social history of her people."

Civil Rights Era

In The Heart of a Woman, Angelou covers the late 1950s and early 1960s, a period in which black artists in the United States were increasingly addressing racial abuse and black liberation. In the book, Angelou herself makes a decision to move away from show business in order to, as she describes it, "take on the responsibility of making [people] think. [It] was the time to demonstrate my own seriousness." She joined a group called the Harlem Writers Guild and in 1960 cowrote the musical revue Cabaret for Freedom, which opened in New York City. Later that year, she was asked by Martin Luther King Jr. to become northern coordinator for the then fledgling civil rights organization he had helped found, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The Heart of a Woman concludes with Angelou and her son, Guy, moving to Africa, where she first worked for an English-language newsweekly in Cairo, and then at the University of Ghana. Dictionary of Literary Biography contributor Lynn Z. Bloom called The Heart of a Woman a particularly inspired book. Angelou's "enlarged focus and clear vision transcend the particulars," Bloom wrote, and like I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the book presents "a fascinating universality of perspective and psychological depth."

Angelou more fully explored her Africa experience in her fifth book, All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes, of which a reviewer in Time noted that the author "meditates on the search for historical and spiritual roots." According to Baker in the New York Times Book Review, one of the interesting aspects that Angelou explores is her realization that Africa is "a homeland that refuses to become 'home.' Though independence and prosperity make Ghana a festival in black, there is no point of connection between Miss Angelou and what she calls the 'soul' of Africa." Barbara T. Christian likewise observed in the Chicago Tribune Book World that Angelou's "sojourn in Africa strengthens her bonds to her ancestral home even as she concretely experiences her distinctiveness as an Afro-American."

In her sixth autobiographical book, A Song Flung Up to Heaven, Angelou covered events after she left Ghana in late 1964. She returned to the United States with the intent of working with Malcolm X. While visiting her mother and brother in San Francisco, she learned that the civil rights leader had been assassinated. Angelou was lost for a time, and her brother helped her by finding her a singing gig in Hawaii. Lacking success in the venture, she returned to California and found a job working in Watts, which soon broke out in riots in 1965. Again overwhelmed by the riots' scope as well as the press's reaction to them, Angelou's family helped her through another personal crisis. She began working with Martin Luther King Jr. on a project, which was interrupted by his assassination. The event left her desolate, but the support of friends in the aftermath indirectly helped her launch her writing career. A Song Flung Up to Heaven ended with Angelou beginning to write I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Elsie B. Washington in Black Issues Book Review wrote that the book "offers a glimpse into the life of a literary icon in the making profoundly influenced by historical events and history makers."

Poetry and Honors

In addition to her books of autobiography, Angelou wrote several volumes of poetry that further explore the South, racial confrontation, and the triumph of black people against overwhelming odds. According to Tate, Angelou's poems "are characterized by a spontaneous joyfulness and an indomitable spirit to survive." Among her many accomplishments, Angelou wrote the screenplay and score for the 1972 film Georgia, Georgia, and in 1979 penned the screen adaptation of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. She made numerous television appearances, including her 1977 role in the landmark television movie Roots, and was a guest on many talk shows.

Maya Angelou's writings and speeches, which stress the hopeful innocence of children, earned her wide acclaim and many fans. Such devoted enthusiasts included Oprah Winfrey and President Bill Clinton, who invited Angelou to deliver a poem at his inauguration in 1993. Angelou became the first African American to read a poem at a presidential inauguration. The poem, "On the Pulse of Morning," electrified the audience and was published in a hardcover edition of Angelou's poetry. Because of her moving literary works and devotion to the power of expression, Maya Angelou was awarded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's (NAACP's) Spingarn Medal in 1993 and the first Medal of Distinction from the University of Hawaii Board of Regents in 1994.

Angelou, with her booming laughter and deep rhythmic voice, was a symbol of strength and leadership for the plight of women and the underprivileged. She was named keynote speaker for the Chicago Foundation for Women in 1994. In September 1996, Angelou and Camille Cosby joined to help African American women chart new directions in their lives with a $30 million dollar fund-raising campaign for the National Council of Negro Women.

In 1995, Angelou starred in the film How to Make an American Quilt with Winona Ryder and Ellen Burstyn. She also delivered her poem "A Brave and Startling Truth" at the United Nations fiftieth birthday bash in San Francisco. Angelou contributed short stories to the HBO program America's Dream, which aired during Black History Month in 1996 and collaborated with musicians Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson on their 1996 release Been Found. In 1998, she directed a motion picture entitled Down in the Delta. The film focused on a woman from Chicago who traveled to Mississippi to locate her African American roots.

Continued Works

Angelou continued to publish new works and to remain in the public eye in the early 2000s. In 2004, she published Hallelujah! The Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories and Recipes, a cookbook that included many autobiographical anecdotes related to food in her life. A year later, Angelou composed an anti-war poem, "Amazing Peace," for the White House Christmas tree lighting ceremony. Like "On the Pulse of Morning," "Amazing Peace" was published in book form and became a best seller. In 2006, Angelou launched a career in a new medium when she began hosting an inspirational show on the "Oprah and Friends" channel for XM Satellite Radio.

In 2008, Angelou published Letter to My Daughter, which, according to the author's Web site, is "dedicated to the daughter she never had but sees all around her." A contributor to Publishers Weekly noted that the insights in the slim volume, which Angelou draws from personal experiences throughout her life, are "earnest and offered with warmth." Angelou also added to her film credits in 2008, narrating and providing poetry for the documentary film The Black Candle: A Kwanzaa Celebration. Directed by M.K. Asante Jr., the film focuses on the African American experience and the seven principles at the core of the Kwanzaa holiday.

Angelou published another cookbook in 2010. Great Food, All Day Long: Cook Splendidly, Eat Smart, like Hallelujah! The Welcome Table, includes autobiographical sketches about the recipes' place in Angelou's life but also focuses on the importance of portion control.

In 2011, President Barack Obama awarded Angelou the Presidential Medal of Freedom--the nation's highest civilian honor. The president quoted Angelou, saying, "History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again," before he presented her with the medal.

In 2013, Angelou published Mom & Me & Mom, which reflects on her relationship with her mother, Vivian Baxter. Angelou dedicated the deeply personal and moving memoir to her son. Angelou died on May 28, 2014, at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She was 86 years old. In 2015, the United States Postal Service issued a forever stamp featuring Angelou's image. After revealing the stamp, the USPS was criticized for including a quote attributed to Angelou that the author did not write. Despite this error, the USPS did not retract the more than eighty million stamps it had produced featuring Angelou.

PERSONAL INFORMATION: Born Marguerite Johnson, April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri; died May 28, 2014, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; daughter of Bailey and Vivian (Baxter) Johnson; married Tosh Angelos (divorced c. 1952); married Paul Du Feu, December 1973 (divorced); children: Guy Johnson. Education: Attended public schools in Arkansas and California. Memberships: American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), Directors Guild of America, Actors Equity, Harlem Writers Guild, American Film Institute, Women's Prison Association. Addresses: Web site--mayaangelou.com.

CAREER: Author, poet, playwright, professional stage and screen producer, director, performer, and singer. Taught modern dance at Habima Theatre, Tel Aviv, Israel, and the Rome Opera House, Rome, Italy. Appeared in Porgy and Bess on twenty-two-nation tour sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, 1954-55; appeared in Off-Broadway plays Calypso Heatwave, 1957, and The Blacks, 1960; produced and performed in Cabaret for Freedom, with Godfrey Cambridge, Off-Broadway, 1960; University of Ghana, Institute of African Studies, Legon-Accra, Ghana, assistant administrator of School of Music and Drama, 1963-66; appeared in Mother Courage at University of Ghana, 1964, and in Meda in Hollywood, 1966; made Broadway debut in Look Away, 1973; directed film All Day Long, 1974, and Down in the Delta, Miramax, 1998; directed her play And Still I Rise in California, 1976; directed Errol John's Moon on a Rainbow Shawl in London, England, 1988; appeared in film Roots, 1977. Television narrator, interviewer, and host for Afro- American specials and theatre series, 1972; radio-show host for XM Satellite Radio, 2006. Lecturer at University of California, Los Angeles, 1966; writer in residence at University of Kansas, 1970; distinguished visiting professor at Wake Forest University, 1974, Wichita State University, 1974, and California State University, Sacramento, 1974; professor at Wake Forest University, 1981-2014; northern coordinator of Southern Christian Leadership Conference, 1959-60; appointed member of American Revolution Bicentennial Council by President Gerald R. Ford, 1975-76; member of National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year.

AWARDS: Nominated for National Book Award, 1970, for I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings; Yale University fellowship, 1970; Pulitzer Prize nomination, 1972, for Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie; Antoinette Perry ("Tony") Award nomination from League of New York Theatres and Producers, 1973, for performance in Look Away; Rockefeller Foundation scholar in Italy, 1975; honorary degrees from Smith College, 1975, Mills College, 1975, Lawrence University, 1976, and Wake Forest University, 1977; named Woman of the Year in Communications by Ladies' Home Journal, 1976; Tony Award nomination for best supporting actress, 1977, for Roots; named one of the top one hundred most influential women by Ladies' Home Journal, 1983; North Carolina Award in Literature, 1987; named Woman of the Year by Essence magazine, 1992; named Distinguished Woman of North Carolina, 1992; recipient, Horatio Alger Award, 1992; Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word or Non-Traditional Album, 1993, for recording of "On The Pulse of the Morning"; Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration, 1994, for Soul Looks Back in Wonder; Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word or Non-Traditional Album, 1995, for recording of "Phenomenal Woman"; Presidential Medal of Arts, 2000; Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album, 2002, for recording of A Song Flung Up to Heaven; Quills Award for Poetry, 2006, for Amazing Peace; Lincoln Medal, 2008; named one of Glamour's Women of the Year, 2009; Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama, 2011.

WORKS:

Writings

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Random House, 1970.

Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie, Random House, 1971.

Gather Together in My Name, Random House, 1974.

O Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well, Random House, 1975.

Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas, Random House, 1976.

And Still I Rise New York, Random House, 1978.

The Heart of a Woman, Random House, 1981.

Shaker, Why Don't You Sing? Random House, 1983.

All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes, Random House, 1986.

Now Sheba Sings the Song, Dutton/Dial, 1987.

I Shall Not Be Moved, Random House, 1990.

Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now, Random House, 1993.

Kofi and His Magic, Crown Publishing Group, 1996.

Even the Stars Look Lonesome (essays), Random House, 1997.

A Song Flung Up to Heaven, Random House, 2002.

Angelina of Italy (children's book), Random House, 2004.

Hallelujah! The Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories and Recipes (memoir/cookbook), Random House, 2004.

Amazing Peace (single poem), Random House, 2006.

Mother: A Cradle to Hold Me, Random House, 2006.

Letter to My Daughter, Random House, 2008.

Great Food, All Day Long: Cook Splendidly, Eat Smart (memoir/cookbook), Random House, 2010.

Mom & Me & Mom, Random House, 2013.

Plays

(With Godfrey Cambridge) Cabaret for Freedom (musical revue), produced at Village Gate, New York City, 1960.

The Least of These, produced in Los Angeles, 1966.

Ajax (adaptation of Sophocles's Ajax), produced at the Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, 1974.

And Still I Rise, produced in Oakland, California, 1976.

Film and Television Scripts

Blacks, Blues, Black (ten television programs), National Educational Television, 1968.

Georgia, Georgia (film), Cinerama, 1972.

All Day Long, American Film Institute, 1974.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (film), 1979.

Sister, Sister, NBC-TV, 1982.

Three-Way Choice, CBS-TV.

How to Make an American Quilt (film), 1995.

The Black Candle: A Kwanzaa Celebration (film), 2008.

Also the author of the fictional work Mrs. Flowers: A Moment of Friendship, Redpath Press, 1986. Contributor of articles, short stories, and poems to periodicals, and of material to books.

FURTHER READINGS: Periodicals

Black Issues Book Review, March-April 2002. Black Scholar, Summer 1982. Book Seller, July 29, 2005. Boston Globe, January 20, 1997. Chicago Tribune, February 11, 1996; January 12, 1997. Chicago Tribune Book World, March 23, 1986. Entertainment Weekly, January 13, 2006. Harper's Bazaar, November 1972. Los Angeles Times, February 10, 1996. Los Angeles Times Book Review, April 13, 1986; August 9, 1987. New York Times, February 25, 1970; October 6, 1995. New York Times Book Review, June 16, 1974; May 11, 1986. People, January 25, 1999. PR Newswire, September 13, 2006. Publishers Weekly, September 22, 2008. Southern Humanities Review, Fall 1973. Time, March 31, 1986. USA Today, June 26, 1995; September 24, 1996. Village Voice, July 11, 1974; October 28, 1981. Washington Post, January 5, 1995; September 21, 1996. Washington Post Book World, October 4, 1981; June 26, 1983; May 11, 1986.

Online

"Maya Angelou and the Internet's Stamp of Approval," New Yorker, <> (December 21, 2017). "Maya Angelou, Lyrical Witness of the Jim Crow South, Dies at 86," New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com.ezproxy.mtsu.edu/2014/05/29/arts/maya-angelou-lyrical-witness-of-the-jim-crow-south-dies- at-86.html?_r=0 (July 28, 2014). Maya Angelou--The Official Website, http://mayaangelou.com (April 2, 2013). "Obama Awards Medal of Freedom to George H.W. Bush, Maya Angelou and 13 Others," http://articles.latimes.com/2011/feb/15/nation/la-na-freedom-medals-20110216 (April 2, 2013).

Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition) "Maya Angelou." Contemporary Black Biography, vol. 15, Gale, 1997. Gale In Context: Biography,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1606000787/BIC?u=tel_middleten&sid=BIC&xid=4368c363. Accessed 14 Nov. 2019. Gale Document Number: GALE|K1606000787