Title: And Still I RiseAuthor: Maya Angelou
First Published: January 1, 1978
Publisher: Random House
Pages: 64
Genre: Poetry
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library
Rating:
Maya Angelou’s unforgettable collection of poetry lends its name to the documentary film about her life, And Still I Rise, as seen on PBS’s American Masters.
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I’m telling lies.
I say,
It’s in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.
Thus begins “Phenomenal Woman,” just one of the beloved poems collected here in Maya Angelou’s third book of verse. These poems are powerful, distinctive, and fresh—and, as always, full of the lifting rhythms of love and remembering. And Still I Rise is written from the heart, a celebration of life as only Maya Angelou has discovered it.
“It is true poetry she is writing,” M.F.K. Fisher has observed, “not just rhythm, the beat, rhymes. I find it very moving and at times beautiful. It has an innate purity about it, unquenchable dignity. . . . It is astounding, flabbergasting, to recognize it, in all the words I read every day and night . . . it gives me heart, to hear so clearly the caged bird singing and to understand her notes.”
Maya Angelou was an incredible woman and an astoundingly good writer. And Still I Rise is the first book I’ve read by Angelou and I was absolutely blown away. The poems in this collection have a good rhythm and roll off the tongue, I feel that they’d be approachable for readers that don’t read poetry often.
Many of the poems had a playful, even mocking tone even when talking about dark subjects which really showcases Angelou’s mastery of the English language. Analytical readers will find many of the poems to be thick with metaphor, giving readers a lot to reflect on after each poem.
The poetry in this collection cover a wide variety of topics, such as race, love, lust, sexism, rape, slavery, abuse, religion, the list goes on. It’s clear that these poems are deeply personal and come from Angelou’s own experiences. Several of the poems were truly empowering for women and African Americans, such as in the titular And Still I Rise and Phenomenal Woman. There will definitely be something here for most readers.
There is a lot to admire in this collection and I can tell already that Maya Angelou will become a favorite for me.
“Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.”
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About Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou, born Marguerite Ann Johnson April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri, was an American poet, memoirist, actress and an important figure in the American Civil Rights Movement. In 2001 she was named one of the 30 most powerful women in America by Ladies Home Journal. Maya Angelou is known for her series of six autobiographies, starting with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, (1969) which was nominated for a National Book Award and called her magnum opus. Her volume of poetry, Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘Fore I Die (1971) was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.