SIMPLY AMAZING! "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" is an extraordinary novel about the authors early year. It is a tale of her experiences growing up from a little girl to a young woman in Stamps, Arkansas; St. Louis, Missouri; and San Francisco, California. It deals with racial barriers- a black girl growing up in the deep south trying to understand why her people are treated so harshly- with all the other troubles of growing up. Angelou's powerful language is evident right up throu... (show more)

SIMPLY AMAZING! "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" is an extraordinary novel about the authors early year. It is a tale of her experiences growing up from a little girl to a young woman in Stamps, Arkansas; St. Louis, Missouri; and San Francisco, California. It deals with racial barriers- a black girl growing up in the deep south trying to understand why her people are treated so harshly- with all the other troubles of growing up. Angelou's powerful language is evident right up through the last sentence of the novel. This a a book that will most definitely stay with me for a very long time. I highly recommend it so that people will be able to take away what I took from reading it. "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" cannot simply be called an autobiography because it is so much more then that. It is above else a work of art, a piece of writing that will surely be cherished for generations. (show less)

I have to say, I really enjoyed this book. Mark Twain has created such a character out of Huckleberry Finn. Twain manages to make his journey with Jim down the mighty Mississippi funny and memorable, but at the same time, manages to keep it fabulously written.
I understand how this book managed to make it onto the list of the top ten banned books of the twentieth century, because it deals with racism and slavery and is a frequet user of the N word (nigger). At the same time, it is the story... (show more)

I have to say, I really enjoyed this book. Mark Twain has created such a character out of Huckleberry Finn. Twain manages to make his journey with Jim down the mighty Mississippi funny and memorable, but at the same time, manages to keep it fabulously written.
I understand how this book managed to make it onto the list of the top ten banned books of the twentieth century, because it deals with racism and slavery and is a frequet user of the N word (nigger). At the same time, it is the story of a young boy, brought up in rough circumstances who not only wanted to get away, but who also wanted to look for adventure. Although at first glance it might seem a harmless adventure story, it is really much more then that.
There were two characters who about drove me crazy- the "duke" and the "king." At first I found their actions to be funny, but after awhile I got so tired of them and just wanted Huck to get rid of them! Despite their annoyance, the book wouldn't be complete with out them. They cause so much trouble for Huck and Jim, and that makes the book all the more interesting.
It may have taken Mark Twain years to write, and he did take many liberties with the book, especially for the time he wrote it in, but he did something right. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a classic novel that one cannot miss out on. (show less)