Avg. Customer Rating:(based on 21 reviews) Sales Rank: 39 Category: Book
Author:Maya Angelou Publisher:Random House Studio:Random House Manufacturer:Random House Label:Random House Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published) Media: Hardcover Edition: 1 Number Of Items: 1 Pages: 192 Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5 Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.6 x 1
Product Description For 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.?
A Poetic Self-Help Book November 23, 2008 "Letter to My Daughter" delights while it instructs the reader. In this book the song bird is out of the cage uniting women to see themselves as both mothers and daughters in their quest to find their purpose and give wings to their dreams. I find this to be a poetic self-help book, a new genre, filled with opposites releasing a great energy turning adversity into advantage. Even though Maya Angelou transports you to exotic locations, it reminds you that home is where you are and that in order to change you must first accept yourself. After reading this inspiring book,if you are looking for concrete strategies to reclaim your identity and to revive the "hidden girl" in this stress-filled world, read Addicted to Stress: A Woman's 7 Step Program to Reclaim Joy and Spontaneity in Life which will show you how through tips and tales.
Deep Harsh and Truthful November 20, 2008 An inspirational life changing story, that give truth and a look at reality all at the same time. Changed my view of life and my entire demenor.
Above what I expected November 18, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"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!
Prose, Poetry and More! November 15, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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,' professor, musician, accomplished linguist -- in short, to purloin her words, "a national spirit." Maybe even "a national treasure" worth so much that Fort Knox would have to risk poverty!
If you ever start, I am willing to wager that you will finish this book in open-mouthed wonder and will try to put it aside to savor this feast of words strung together like pearls in a necklace. Even when you are sated -- with, maybe, a full stomach or belly, as she would have said, of "glistening red rice," you are still going to hold the words in your mind and heart and mouth since all three will be so full that receiving more will be impossible.
If you are getting my drift by now then you are probably guessing that I am recommending it. But I am not. I'm suggesting that you run to the nearest bookstore, even if it is 5 miles away, buy "Letter to My Daughter," sit down at the nearest spot and read, read, read!!! That's all I have to say.
Read, be inspired and be courageous! November 14, 2008 8 out of 8 found this review helpful
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 to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. *Be certain that you do not die without having done something wonderful for humanity. *Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud. *Never whine. Whining lets a brute know that a victim is in the neighborhood. *Make every effort to change things you do not like. If you cannot make a change, change the way you have been thinking and you might find a new solution. *Be charitable. Being charitable doesn't always involve a monetary gift; you can be charitable with a smile and a kind word. *Kids make mistakes; its ok to love them through it *When you are genuinely proud of your children, you give them permission to be proud of themselves. *Miracles can happen through prayer. *When people ask, "How are you?" have the nerve sometimes to answer truthfully. *A friend may be waiting behind a stranger's face. *Each of us must care enough for ourselves, that we can be ready and able to come to our own defense when and wherever needed. *You are never too old to find true love.
Ms. Angelou advises that Courage is our greatest attribute. Read, enjoy, be inspired and be courageous!
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