Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Best Biography or Autobiography

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Shot of daisy growing up from the ground. We can only see the bottom of the daisy and the blue but cloudy sky above.It was difficult to narrow my answer down to only one book this week.

There are so many amazing biographies and autobiographies out there, but in the end I had to go with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou for reasons I’ll get into below.

One, Ms. Angelou had a unique story to tell. Her childhood included very difficult experiences like moving between multiple households/caregivers as a small child and recovering from sexual abuse a few years later. (The incident itself was not included in her autobiography from what I recall, but I thought I should mention it for anyone who would rather not read about the after-effects of that topic).  With that being said, she was also surrounded by adults who loved her and who did everything they could to help her heal.

Two, the author had a poetic and descriptive writing style that is well-suited for an autobiography. She brought the heartwarming moments of her childhood to life in exquisite detail, and there were quite a few of them.

Three, everyone goes through tough times at one point or another. I find comfort in reading about the coping skills other people have relied upon when they experienced loss, trauma, grief, or other hard stuff. No two stories are every alike, but you can find many common threads in them if you pay attention.  It’s also encouraging to see examples of people persevering and eventually finding their way to happier chapters in life.

20 Comments

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20 Responses to Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Best Biography or Autobiography

  1. I don’t know why but I hadn’t realized it was a biography. It’s on my TBR list but I haven’t gotten there yet. Thanks for the reminder.

  2. I’ve never read the book, though I’ve heard so much positive feedback about it. It sounds like a really good choice.

  3. I’ve wanted to read it, but haven’t gotten to it. I guess I should 🙂

  4. Great choice. I also had not realized that was biographical.

  5. I don’t read many biographies or autobiographies, but I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou looks fantastic. Great review!

  6. This is such a wonderful choice. I haven’t finished this book yet, but I read enough of it to nod along with your reasoning. It was actually the quality of the writing paired with some of the events that meant I couldn’t finish it at the time (I tried to read it when my kid was really little and emotions were pretty raw). But I do plan to go back to it when I’m better able to handle it, because I know it will be one that will stick with me forever!

    • Thank you!

      Yeah, some of the events in it were really hard to read about for sure. I hope you enjoy it whenever you feel emotionally ready to keep reading.

  7. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings sounds like a great choice.

  8. I’ve heard of that. I’ll have to try it.

  9. Nicholas Shakespeare’s biography of Bruce Chatwin would be mine!

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