It Is About Time!

The bad news is that I missed out big time. The good news is that I finally know about Maya Angelou. I recently read a book by her, The Heart of a Woman:

I was a big reader growing up, but, once I graduated college and became a workaholic, I cut back on the books. Since my recovery from the tragedy two years ago, I have become a reader again. I found this book in one of the "Little Free Library boxes" in my neighborhood and decided to give it a shot. Of course, I had heard of Maya Angelou, but I had no idea of the important things in her life. I am kind of embarrassed that I never knew much about MA, just like I failed to ever learn much about Gloria Steinem. I recognize now that I am a feminist.

I knew that MA was a poet, that she was Black and a female, and that she supported Barack Obama. I also kind of remember President Clinton having her read a poem at his inauguration in 1993. I didn't know that she had died (in 2014 at age 86) or that she had a son (who is also dead). I never looked at the website devoted to her before just now, but readers can learn more about Maya Angelou at the website that continues her life work.

I have read only this one book, but it really helped me to understand what Maya Angelou was all about and leaves me wanting to read more of her work. This was definitely non-fiction. She told about the part of her life when she moved from California to New York. Being Black created a lot of problems for her, and she did a good job of explaining those challenges. She also exceptionally explained what she did with her time and why.

After I finished the book, I wanted to learn more about her son, Guy Johnson. He died in early 2022 at the age of 77. The book ends with Guy's troubles in Africa when he was about to go to college. He suffered paralysis in a car accident at age 20.

The book had an exchange between MA and Billie Holiday near the beginning that was captivating. It also had some interaction with Malcom X. It was mainly about Guy growing up, but another important part was the relationship with African freedom fighter Vusumzi Make.

I was born just after this book's plot ended, as Guy's tragedy was in 1962. The book discusses some friendships that she had with some really neat people, but I never really knew about them. Her work with the Harlem Writer's Guild was quite interesting. Her work with Martin Luther King's organization was even more interesting!

Maya Angelou was an incredible person, and this was a fantastic book. I look forward to reading some of her others!