During a 50-year career that culminated in three Grammys, one Presidential Medal of Freedom, a Pulitzer nomination, and 36 books, Maya Angelou never failed to use the power of her skilled words to candidly reflect on the sorrows and celebrations of the human experience.

"The world knows her as a poet, but at the heart of her, she was a teacher," Oprah said of Angelou. "‘When you learn, teach. When you get, give’ is one of my best lessons from her."

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Referred to by Lady O as her "mentor, mother/sister, and friend," Angelou—who died in 2014 at age 86 —spent her life giving lessons to society through countless poems, essays, and memoirs, bravely sharing her many trials and tribulations—but also triumphs—as a Black woman in America. But just like Oprah, Angelou's candor encouraged many people to maintain hope during even the most impossible of situations.

From her profound I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings to the lyrical And Still I Rise, Angelou has provided us with enough expertly written prose to last a lifetime. And though it was (really) difficult, we narrowed her vast body of work to the 10 most essential books and poems in her repertoire. But worry not: we still included a complete list of her work, because they all deserve some recognition.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Shop Now

With encouragement from friend and fellow landmark writer, James Baldwin, Angelou published her debut memoir. In it, she captures her childhood struggles with abuse and prejudice while also detailing how the contrasting freedom of her adolescence allowed her to find strength amidst despair. The autobiography is arguably her most popular work, with Time magazine naming it an "All-Time 100 Nonfiction Book."

"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings liberates the reader into life simply because Maya Angelou confronts her own life with such a moving wonder, such a luminous dignity,” Baldwin said of the memoir.

Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie Shop Now

In her first collection of poetry, Angelou uses 38 different lyrical titles as social commentary in which she explores themes of love, racism, and nostalgia. With poems like They Went Home, Times-Square-Shoe-Shine-Composition, and No Loser, Now Weeper, the work earned her a Pulitzer Prize nomination.

Gather Together in My Name Shop Now



A follow up to I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou lets readers in on her life post-World War II. She's a teen mother to a young son named Clyde, struggling to provide for him as she's in-and-out of relationships and jumping from job to job. It's a story of a young woman trying to find herself in the midst of parental responsibility—while the lure of drugs and crime nearly takes her life in an unfortunate direction.

And Still I Rise Shop Now

Home to one of Angelou's most praised poems, Phenomenal Woman, this book of poetry celebrates everything from dreams and lively Saturday nights to freedom and the sounds of the South. Through an energetic rhythm and written prowess, Angelou honors life—and the good and bad that comes with it.

"... The stride of my step/ The curl of my lips./ I’m a woman/ Phenomenally./ Phenomenal woman,/ That’s me."

The Heart of a Woman Shop Now

In her fourth memoir, Angelou moves with her son to New York City, quickly becoming involved in the rich artistic culture of the city's Black creatives. It's here where she discovers her true passion for the written word after reading her work at the Harlem Writer's Guild. Simultaneously, she falls in love with a man who shows her that there's even more to life beyond the city.

On the Pulse of Morning: The Inaugural Poem Shop Now

Read at President Bill Clinton's inauguration in January 1993 on a public television broadcast, On the Pulse of Morning sent a message of unity and equality to countless Americans in what the president called an "electrifying reading." The historic event saw Angelou bring her signature soulful prose to a national stage.

"In my work, in everything I do, I mean to say that we human beings are more alike than we are unalike," she told the L.A. Times in 1993, "and to use that statement to break down the walls we set between ourselves because we are different."

You can watch Angelou recite In the Pulse of Morning here.

Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now Shop Now

Soon after her lauded poetry reading at the inauguration, Angelou published her first book of short essays. With lyrical prose, you're treated to her thoughts on topics such as style, death, racism, and self-love, plus how she feels the power of spirituality can help guide and fulfill your life.

Though every book on this list should always be considered essential reading, it would feel especially poignant to read this poetry collection during National Women's History Month. It includes four of Angelou's most popular works—Phenomenal Woman, Still I Rise, Weekend Glory, and Our Grandmothers—with every poem focused on empowering females everywhere.

Letter to My Daughter Shop Now

Through a series of candid essays, Angelou writes to the daughter she never had, and in effect opens up to the millions of fans she gained over the years. Through stories of her tumultuous youth, motherhood, loss, and personal growth, she provides a lesson on what it means to learn to be fulfilled despite life's curveballs.

Mom & Me & Mom SHOP NOW



For the first time in all of her memoirs, Angelou write about the tense relationship she shared with her mother, Vivian Baxter, who sent her away to live with her grandmother when Angelou was just three years old. They were reunited 10 years later, but the writer's feelings of abandonment and resentment towards her mom are the ones she fights to overcome as she and Baxter work to repair their relationship.

A Complete List of Maya Angelou Works

Poetry

Maya Angelou: The Complete Poetry

Rainbow in the Cloud

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Amazing Peace

Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Diiie

Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well

His Day is Done

Phenomenal Woman

Celebrations

A Song Flung Up to Heaven

Shaker, Why Don't You Sing?

Amazing Peace

And Stil I Rise

The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou

Autobiography

Mom & Me & Mom

Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas

All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes

The Heart of a Woman

I Shall Not Be Moved

Gather Together in My Name

Even the Stars Look Lonesome

Letter to My Daughter

The Collected Autobiographies of Maya Angelou

Children

Life Doesn't Frighten Me

My Painted House, My Friendly Chicken, and Me

Maya's World Series

Cook Books

Hallelujah! The Welcome Table

Great Food, All Day Long

Religion

Wouldn't Take Nothing For My Journey Now

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