A remarkable woman. There are some absolute gems in this book; there are also some mundane patches. I loved listening to Maya herself read the book. The anecdotes that I remember most are her family's reaction to her teenage pregnancy (What a joy for us to have a beautiful child to love) and her experience in Senegal walking on a rug that she thought everyone else had been forbidden to walk on to discover that it was the rug where they all sat to eat. ( )

Letter to my Daughter is a book of wisdom, a collection of 28 short works -- mostly essays, and a couple of poems. Ms. Angelou doesn't have a daughter (her only child is a son); this book is dedicated to women all around the world. Angelou plumbs the depths of more than 80 years on the planet to serve up bits of her experience as lessons for her readers. Some of the essays, particularly those pertaining to her younger adult years, concern violence and disrespect towards women. In others, Angelou relates cultural blunders or near misses made during her travels. The embedded lesson is usually not about the gaffe itself, but the personal learning and growth that came from it: In an unfamiliar culture, it is wise to offer no innovations, no suggestions, or lessons. The epitome of sophistication is utter simplicity. (p. 91)

In fact, most of her lessons came from mistakes. I admired Angelou's ability to expose her own vulnerability for the reader's benefit. My only complaint about this book is that its 166 pages are misleading. Each piece is quite short, usually 2-4 pages. Each essay is padded with additional pages (a cover page, a blank page, etc.), and of course there are obligatory pages about the author, the typeface, and so on. I would have preferred a greater percentage of this book be devoted to Angelou's words of wisdom. Nevertheless, these essays lend themselves well to periodic re-reading, and this book will remain on my shelves to be dipped into later. ( )

This book was very moving, it spoke of her life and the other amazing wonderful people that have gone on to glory that she'd befriended and loved. Like Martin Luther King and his wife. Just an amazing book, I cried and laughed and learned upon reading it. ( )

Some of these essays are extraordinary. Others aren't. I'm glad I read it. ( )

A series of short pieces, most no more than two pages long, including bits of autobiography, essays, and poetry. The theme is things written for the daughter she never had, and to all the women she considers in some ways daughters. She speaks of having her son at age 16, of being beaten and saved by prayer, perhaps, and of many other things. One piece is about Fannie Lou Hamer, who has been a hero of mine since reading about her in various books on the Civil Rights movement.

There was one quote that touched me a lot, and I repeat it here:

"Many things continue to amaze me, even well into my seventh decade. I'm startled or at least taken aback when people walk up to me and without being questioned inform me that they are Christians. My first response is the question, 'Already?'
It seems to me that becoming a Christian is a lifelong endeavor. I believe that is also true of one wanting to become a Buddhist, or a Muslim, a Jew, Jainist, or Taoist. The persons striving to live their religious beliefs know that the idyllic condition cannot be arrived at and held onto eternally. It is in the search itself that one finds the ecstasy." (p. 165)

The book is recommended for a fast and inspiring read. ( )