Millions have read Maya Angelou's national bestseller The Heart of a Woman, and now you can hear her fascinating story in the author's own voice. Angelou exposes a turbulent period of her life as she struggles to raise a child, fulfill her goals as a writer, and fight for civil rights in an age of social injustice; Angelou's rich and resonating voice draws the listener into the unexpected details of her life. Working as a nightclub singer in Los Angeles, Angelou decides to move to New York with her son Guy in hopes of building stronger ties with the black art community. In an attempt to find stability for Guy and make a name for herself, her love life takes wild turns. Should she marry the bail bondsman who's as dry as stale bread or run away with the African freedom fighter? Her heart takes her to Africa, where her writing career blossoms but her marriage sours. The Heart of a Woman is filled with beautiful prose and songs; Angelou displays her music talent in several vignettes, most memorably in a scene with Billie Holiday: Angelou is performing at a nightclub when Holiday shrieks, "Stop her, stop her... she sounds like my mama!"
From AudioFile
What a woman! What a heart! African-American poet/activist Maya Angelou continues to lead a significant, eventful life -- some early episodes of which she reveals in this fascinating memoir. It focuses on her relationships with men, especially with her fatherless son, during the tumultuous '60's. Writing with a lyric simplicity, she's often frank, but rarely candid. As performer, she narrates with the same distinctive, measured dignity that has become familiar from her many televised poetry readings. The abridgment is a bit too brief for those wanting to hear more about Godfrey Cambridge, James Baldwin and her other pals. But it does serve to highlight, namely the development of her touching relationship with her son as he entered manhood and independence. Y.R. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
Review
"Remarkable... a great lady moving right on through a great memoir." -- Kirkus Reviews
From the Paperback edition.
Heart of a Woman ANNOTATION
In this fourth volume of her highly acclaimed autobiographical series, the esteemed poet and author continues the story of her remarkable and sometimes turbulent life, beginning with her days as a singer-dancer in New York City, when her love for writing blossomed at the Harlem Writers Guild. Then there were fiery times as the northern coordinator of Martin Luther King's history-making quest and more impassioned moments when she promised her heart to one man only to have it stolen, virtually on her wedding day, by an African freedom fighter. Through her eloquent prose, Angelou shares her fondest dreams, her heartfelt disappointments, and her loving relationship with her teenaged son. Filled with unforgettable vignettes of famous figures, from Billie Holiday to Malcolm X.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Maya Angelou has fascinated, moved, and inspired countless readers with the first three volumes of her autobiography, one of the most remarkable personal narratives of our age. Now, in her fourth volume, The Heart of a Woman, her turbulent life breaks wide open with joy as the singer-dancer enters the razzle-dazzle of fabulous New York City. There, at the Harlem Writers Guild, her love for writing blazes anew.
Her compassion and commitment lead her to respond to the fiery times by becoming the northern coordinator of Martin Luther King's history-making quest. A tempestuous, earthy woman, she promises her heart to one man only to have it stolen, virtually on her weding day, by a passionate African freedom fighter.
Filled with unforgettable vignettes of famous characters, from Billie Holiday to Malcolm X, The Heart of a Woman sings with Maya Angelou's eloquent prose — her fondest dreams, deepest disappointments, and her dramatically tender relationship with her rebellious teenage son. Vulnerable, humorous, tough, Maya speaks with an intimate awareness of the heart within all of us.
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