Banned Book of the Month – I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Written by Maya Angelou 

Summary of Book

The beginning of seven autobiographical novels, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a chronicle of Maya Angelou’s life, age 3 through 16, published in 1969. Angelou describes her traumatic childhood as she talks about the destruction of getting raped and the racial discrimination she went through during her early life.  Angelou narrates her favorite and tragic childhood moments. The book is a masterpiece of pivotal moments between racial discrimination, economic oppression, and the journey of Angelou’s self discovery, not just as a writer, but as an African American woman living in the US. 

To learn more information click here. 

About the Author

Maya Angelou was born on April 4th, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. A poet, civil rights activists, movie director, and an actress, Angelou is an important figure in US history. Her most famous works include I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou, and Still I Rise. One of her most famous poems, delivered for the inauguration of US President Bill Clinton, is “On the Pulse of Morning”. Angelou died May 28th, 2014 in her present home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Why was it banned?

Many school boards thought the book was too controversial as Angelou recounts her traumatic rape experience and her unwanted pregnancy. Parents objected to pre-teens and teens reading her book and wanted the decision on whether or not their kids can read the book. It was challenged for racism, homosexuality, offensive languages, drug abuse, sexually explicit conduct and torture.

The latest challenge of the book was in 2021: The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, located in Palmer, Alaska, voted 5-2 to remove five books thought to be controversial to the school district. One of the five books included I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. The board members’ concern was the sexual content discussed in the book could cause school controversy. It was also challenged for “anti-white messaging.” Fortunately- a community of book legal defenses protested the school board’s vote and Angelou’s book still remains available in that school district. 

To learn more information on all the challenges/bans made click here.