Maya Angelou's Reading List
The 5 books that shaped Maya Angelou — poet & memoirist.
Her autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings broke barriers and her poetry inaugurated a president.
Influential Books
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou(1969)
Angelou's landmark autobiography — growing up Black in the American South with resilience, wit, and grace.
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens(1859)
Angelou discovered Dickens as a child in Stamps, Arkansas. Literature became her refuge and her liberation.
The Complete Works of Shakespeare
William Shakespeare(1623)
Angelou memorized Shakespeare by heart. She found in him a universal language for the human experience.
Phenomenal Woman
Maya Angelou(1978)
Angelou's most famous poem — a celebration of Black womanhood, confidence, and unapologetic self-love.
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Zora Neale Hurston(1937)
Hurston's novel of a Black woman claiming her own voice and desire was a touchstone for Angelou's own writing.