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Letter to My Daughter
by Maya Angelou
Random House
ISBN 978-1-4000-6612-4
Published August 2008 - Hardcover - 171 pages - $25.00

I just love Ms. Maya's books, all of them.  (Do yourself a literary favor, and read all of her books, preferably in order.  They are a joy you'll have with you forever.)  Now, Ms. Angelou doesn't have a daughter, just one son, but she writes "to millions of women she considers her extended family".  Not everyone is fortunate enough to recognize the lessons of one's life, but Maya Angelou is one such person.  She generously shares her experiences with us in this autobiographical account of some of what happened in her life and what she learned therefrom.  Valuable sources of beneficial advice if you're wise enough to learn from others.  She writes about philanthropy, becoming a mother, surviving, humanity, violence (rape), friends and strangers, racism, and a little poetry among other topics.  Reading Maya Angelou is like looking at the world truthfully.  She sees, notices, and speaks.  Most of us, if we're lucky, barely notice much around us - we don't "see" and we certainly don't "speak".  More's the pity.  A sound piece of advice I found in the book: "You may not control all of the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them".
Read my reviews of A Song Flung Up to Heaven and Hallelujah! The Welcome Table.
Conclusion - Thank you Mama Maya, for words of comfort, wisdom, and tolerance.