Maya Angelou

School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up-This well-written, detailed look at Angelou's life is not a sugar-coated biography. Using the writer's own words taken from interviews and her autobiographical works, Shapiro shows the pain and disillusionment that helped to shape this courageous and talented woman. Angelou overcame poverty, racism, a dysfunctional family, rape, unwed motherhood, and even prostitution to become the successful and respected poet, writer, actress, and university professor that she is today. Black-and-white photographs liberally placed throughout the book show life in the segregated south in the '30s and '40s, including the scene of a lynching. Other photos show the subject at different stages of her life. For younger readers, try the gentler Maya Angelou (Millbrook, 1994) by Sarah E. King.- Eunice Weech, M.L. King Elementary School, Urbana, IL