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thedruidslibrary's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
5.0
librarylapin's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this endearing account of Smiley's friendship with Maya Angelou. The disagreements and discussions were particularly powerful to learn about.
meg_ventures's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
estherd1's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed Maya's thoughts and found it eye opening and inspiring.
christine_queenofbooks's review against another edition
4.0
"I can well understand why it is difficult for you to see Dr. King as a mere man. But I can assure you that he was. Like Malcolm X or Medgar Evers or Fannie Lou Hamer, Martin was an ordinary human being who lived in extraordinary times and was able to do extraordinary things. It's the ordinariness of these people that allows us to connect to them. We can relax in our ordinariness and enjoy the humility that ordinariness brings. Only then can we really feel their presence. Rather than be intimidated, we are able to draw closer to them. In that way, Dr. King is not a distant figure sitting on a distant throne. Instead he is an intimate, a father, a friend, a brother." - Maya Angelou
Beyond "I Have A Dream," I don't remember studying any works by black authors before I got to college. I happened to pick this book up prior to reading any of Angelou's work, which meant My Journey With Maya was my introduction to this incredible woman.
This memoir by Tavis Smiley is about his friendship with Maya Angelou, but it covers so much more ground. Among other things, he asks about her support for Martin and Malcolm, she brings up the brilliance of "Jimmy" (James Baldwin), and they take a trip to Ghana - including to a building "known to have been a center of the West African slave trade." Smiley describes that "there are dungeons, which (they) were not shown, that held human beings before they were shipped off to foreign lands and lives of enslavement." It's a quick read, but one that gives the reader a lot to think about.
The underlying thread of this book is Smiley's endless respect and love for Angelou - what an easy thing to relate to. I've since read a couple books by Angelou, and look forward to reading even more.
Beyond "I Have A Dream," I don't remember studying any works by black authors before I got to college. I happened to pick this book up prior to reading any of Angelou's work, which meant My Journey With Maya was my introduction to this incredible woman.
This memoir by Tavis Smiley is about his friendship with Maya Angelou, but it covers so much more ground. Among other things, he asks about her support for Martin and Malcolm, she brings up the brilliance of "Jimmy" (James Baldwin), and they take a trip to Ghana - including to a building "known to have been a center of the West African slave trade." Smiley describes that "there are dungeons, which (they) were not shown, that held human beings before they were shipped off to foreign lands and lives of enslavement." It's a quick read, but one that gives the reader a lot to think about.
The underlying thread of this book is Smiley's endless respect and love for Angelou - what an easy thing to relate to. I've since read a couple books by Angelou, and look forward to reading even more.
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