I decided to read Maya Angelou's autobiographical I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings after reports on a listserv of its being challenged in two Orange County high school districts. I was struct by Angelou's brutal honesty told in such an innocent voice. Her love and connection to her brother compelled me through the beginning chapters. Her guilt over her rape and the events leading to it she was able to make both understandable and shocking in the same innocent voice. The racial prejudices she experiences, learns, overcomes, and feels herself are described in unabashed manner to allow the reader a clear understanding of what it meant to grow up in a small Alabama town and then be transplanted to an urban setting as a teen. Probably not the best choice for most tweens, but definitely a popular choice for some of our library's more mature middle school readers.
Another review
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I'd like you to amp up the summary a bit, tell us enough about the book to hook a reader in.
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