Binding: Hardcover Dewey Decimal Number: 818.5409 EAN: 9781400066124 ISBN: 1400066123 Label: Random House Manufacturer: Random House Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 192 Publication Date: September 23, 2008 Publisher: Random House Release Date: September 23, 2008 Sales Rank: 76 Studio: Random House
Editorial Review:
Product DescriptionFor a world of devoted readers, a much-awaited new volume of absorbing stories and inspirational wisdom from one of our best-loved writers.
Dedicated to the daughter she never had but sees all around her, Letter to My Daughter reveals Maya Angelou’s path to living well and living a life with meaning. Told in her own inimitable style, this book transcends genres and categories: guidebook, memoir, poetry, and pure delight.
Here in short spellbinding essays are glimpses of the tumultuous life that led Angelou to an exalted place in American letters and taught her lessons in compassion and fortitude: how she was brought up by her indomitable grandmother in segregated Arkansas, taken in at thirteen by her more worldly and less religious mother, and grew to be an awkward, six-foot-tall teenager whose first experience of loveless sex paradoxically left her with her greatest gift, a son.
Whether she is recalling such lost friends as Coretta Scott King and Ossie Davis, extolling honesty, decrying vulgarity, explaining why becoming a Christian is a “lifelong endeavor,” or simply singing the praises of a meal of red rice–Maya Angelou writes from the heart to millions of women she considers her extended family.
Like the rest of her remarkable work, Letter to My Daughter entertains and teaches; it is a book to cherish, savor, re-read, and share.
“I gave birth to one child, a son, but I have thousands of daughters. You are Black and White, Jewish and Muslim, Asian, Spanish speaking, Native Americans and Aleut. You are fat and thin and pretty and plain, gay and straight, educated and unlettered, and I am speaking to you all. Here is my offering to you.”
–from Letter to My Daughter
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Above what I expected
"Letter to MY Daughter," was a great read. I wasn't expecting to read about Maya Angelou's personal life, but I am very greatful that she felt it within her heart to tell women of all races and cultures some of her lifes experiences. Thanks for considering me your daughter!
Rating: - Prose, Poetry and More!
I have never heard of or read the writings of anyone with the honesty and creativity of the one who penned this book. Yes, I knew she was creative because I heard the poem she wrote for Bill Clinton's inauguration. Yes, I knew her presence on that platform meant she walked with, even if she didn't keep company with, the elite and powerful. But it was only when I read this book that I knew her humility and grandeur as a human being and poet. Her biography says she is more -- a cook, a funeral 'preacher,' ... Read More
Rating: - Read, be inspired and be courageous!
This is the perfect book! At only 166 pages, it is short but every single page is filled with interesting stories and valuable advice. I recently read a quote that said, "Timid women don't make history." Maya Angelou lives her life boldly and with courage and has been making history for many decades. There are too many inspiring stories to mention them all but below are some of the lessons that I will carry with me as a source of inspiration.
* You may not control all the events that happen ... Read More
Rating: - Letter to my Daughter
I ordered several copies of this book to share with friends. It was an easy read that is full of wisdom, and is worth re-reading. Maya Angelou never disappoints--she is thoughtful and insightful.
Rating: - Maya Angelou at her best
I cannot imagine a more distinctive voice in American literature in the past 50 years. I have read Maya Angelou's previous books and this time I wanted to hear her words in her own voice. Contained herein is Maya's wisdom and her history. While it is titled Letters to My Daughter, this son of her's was touched by her gentle and strong spirit. Buy this CD and add it to your collection. Listen to it over and over there is more enough in this book/CD to bring you wisdom too.
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- Above what I expected
- Read, be inspired and be courageous!