Journey Now

Author, screenwriter and poet Maya Angelou distills the wisdom of a lifetime into this inspiring collection of down-to-earth essays about matters timely and timeless. The author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings celebrates the inimitable strength of her womanhood and the power of the word to surpass all boundaries of society and humanity.

In this small gem of a book, Angelou, the popular poet and novelist, shares her thoughts about humankind: how to respect others of different cultures, opinions, and values as taught by universal philosophies. Annie Johnson in "New Directions" and Aunt Tee in "Living Well, Living Good" are just some of the characters Angelou uses throughout to illustrate with precision and color the respect and perseverance she values. The narratives are carefully constructed with exhilarating assurance as the reader makes the transformative journey from what she is to what she must finally be.

Angelou is leery of people who give up too easily, whiners, complainers, men seeking an "earth mother" and vulgar entertainers. In this collection of short essays, many only two to three pages in length, she discusses the value of charity and her faith in God. She rages with eloquence at the deaths of loved ones, and shares her thoughts on discovering an authentic personal style, the menacing effects of racism, and pregnancy as an experience to be shared by a woman and her mate. Angelou includes reminiscences of her childhood in Stamps, Ark., on being a single mother and on dancing in a professional duo with Alvin Ailey. These quietly inspirational pieces convey her sense of life as an ongoing adventure.

These brief essays - sermonettes, rather - form a spiritual autobiography of a spirited African American. One of the most gripping tales shows her, as a single professional woman, addressing a group of black professional men in a bar, challenging them to accept her as the complex and driven being