Even the Stars Look Lonesome by Maya Angelou Review

Random House, Sep., 1997.
Hardcover, 145 pages.
ISBN: 0375500316.
Ordering information: Amazon.com

The continuation of Wouldn't Take Nothing for my Journey Now, Even the Stars Look Lonesome is an autobiographical collection of essays by poet, author and educator Maya Angelou. She shares what she has learned on the journey of life in these twenty short essays dealing with a range of diverse subjects including Africa, poverty, vacationing, aging and sexuality, the healing power of homes, art, mothers, and even her friend, Oprah Winfrey.

Angelou's voice is strong and compelling. As she weaves her web of words you are inexorably drawn into Angelou's worldview: that of the eternal voyager on the trip of Life. When she talks about her marriage which was made in heaven and then destroyed by two houses, you feel her pain, her strength and her determination to start her life anew -- on another coast. When she talks about the intrusion of violence into her life, you feel her rage and determination to get violence out of her life. And when she speaks with passion of the importance of African culture and art to today's African Americans, you hope people are listening. With a sprinkling of poetry throughout, Even the Stars Look Lonesome is a lyrical look into Angelou's world that allows readers to tag along on her voyage of ideas.

--Claire E. White

Return to the March 1998 issue of The IWJ.