The haunting story of Angelou's childhood in the American South in the 1930s. If this is one you've been meaning to read, give the audio version a try: Angelou's lilting voice brings her powerful, touching story to life.

Picking up where I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings left off, this second volume of Maya Angelou's autobiographical series starts at the end of World War II, an optimistic time. But for Angelou, it's a difficult few years. Angelou is in her teens with a baby son. She goes through men and through jobs and tries to go home again–but finds it no longer a fit. The Chicago Tribune calls this "funny-sad." Angelou writes here with her usual sense of dignity, humor, triumph, and wisdom.

This edition contains Maya Angelou's six classic memoirs that have had enduring impact on American culture, including <em>I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings</em>. The prose is incredible, and by turns heartwarming ("I met and fell in love with William Shakespeare") and utterly heartbreaking. From the publisher: "Dedicated fans and newcomers alike can follow the continually absorbing chronicle of Angelou's life: her formative childhood in Stamps, Arkansas; the birth of her son, Guy, at the end of World War II; her adventures traveling abroad with the famed cast of <em>Porgy and Bess</em>; her experience living in a black expatriate 'colony' in Ghana; her intense involvement with the civil rights movement, including her association with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X; and, finally, the beginning of her writing career."

From the publisher: "Throughout Maya Angelou's life, from her childhood in Stamps, Arkansas, to her world travels as a bestselling writer, good food has played a central role. Angelou tells us about the time she was expelled from school for being afraid to speak—and her mother baked a delicious maple cake to brighten her spirits. She gives us her recipe for short ribs along with a story about a job she had as a cook at a Creole restaurant. There was the time in London when she attended a wretched dinner party full of wretched people; but all wasn't lost—she did experience her initial taste of a savory onion tart. She recounts her very first night in her new home in Sonoma, California, when she invited M. F. K. Fisher over for cassoulet, and the evening Deca Mitford roasted a chicken when she was beyond tipsy—and created Chicken Drunkard Style. Maya Angelou is renowned in her wide and generous circle of friends as a marvelous chef. Her kitchen is a social center. Hallelujah! The Welcome Table is a stunning collaboration between the two things Angelou loves best: writing and cooking."

From the publisher: "This is Maya Angelou talking from the heart, down to earth and real, but also inspiring. This is a book to be treasured, a book about being in all ways a woman, about living well, about the power of the word, and about the power of spirituality to move and shape your life. Passionate, lively, and lyrical, Maya Angelou's unforgettable work offers a gem of truth on every page. Maya Angelou speaks out . . . On Faith. On Racism. On Taking Time for Ourselves. On Death and Grieving. On Style."