Maya Angelou, memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist, wrote seven autobiographies, each about a different chapter of her life. Across these books, she explores her childhood, early trauma, struggles as a single mother, brief involvement in sex work, her rise as an artist, civil rights activism, time in Ghana, relationships with icons like James Baldwin and Malcolm X, and the devastating assassinations of MLK and Malcolm X.
While each book stands strong on its own, reading them in order provides a more cohesive understanding of her journey. In this post, we’ve listed Maya Angelou’s autobiographies in chronological order, with a glimpse into each one. So you can decide whether to start at the beginning (our recommendation for most readers) or jump straight into a specific era of her life.
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Maya Angelou’s Seven Books in Order
1. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
Published in 1969
Maya’s childhood unfolds between the safe rhythms of her grandmother’s Arkansas store and the brutal realities of Jim Crow racism. After childhood trauma leaves her mute for years, she discovers liberation through Shakespeare and black Southern storytelling traditions. This seminal memoir captures how words can heal even the deepest wounds of displacement and prejudice.
2. Gather Together in My Name, by Maya Angelou
Published in 1974
As a teenage mother in post-WWII California, Maya ricochets between desperate jobs – from Creole cook to streetcar conductor to brothel madam. Her raw account exposes the impossible choices facing Black women surviving outside society’s safety nets, where dignity often yields to necessity in the struggle to feed her son.
3. Singin’ and Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Like Christmas, by Maya Angelou
Published in 1976
The stage becomes Maya’s salvation as she evolves from hungry artist to touring performer. Her electrifying account of traveling Europe with the Porgy and Bess company reveals both the glamour of jazz-age showbusiness and its lonely toll on a mother separated from her growing child.
4. The Heart of a Woman, by Maya Angelou
Published in 1981
Harlem’s vibrant 1950s arts scene forms the backdrop as Maya organizes civil rights events with Malcolm X, writes fiery calypso lyrics, and navigates turbulent love affairs. This volume captures her metamorphosis from struggling artist to activist, forced to choose between revolutionary ideals and maternal devotion.
5. All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes, by Maya Angelou
Published in 1986
Ghana’s crimson sunrises greet Maya as she joins exiled Black intellectuals seeking homecoming in newly independent Africa. But ancestral return proves bittersweet when local realities collide with romantic ideals, forcing profound questions about where a displaced daughter truly belongs.
6. A Song Flung Up to Heaven, by Maya Angelou
Published in 2002
The shattering assassinations of 1968 leave Maya stranded between continents and identities. Her poignant account of returning to a fractured America shows how personal grief transformed into literary purpose as she begins writing the memoir that would shake the world.
7. Mom & Me & Mom, by Maya Angelou
Published in 2013
The final reconciliation with her glamorous, unpredictable mother Vivian Baxter becomes Maya’s most intimate revelation. Through their explosive fights and fierce loyalty emerges the origin story of Angelou’s legendary strength – proving even flawed love can forge unbreakable spirits.
Thanks for reading. This post lists Maya Angelou’s Autobiographies in order. We want to know, which ones have you read? Which ones are on your TBR? In which ones are your favorite? Let us know in the comments or join the conversation on X: @Nonfictioned1
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