Letter to My Daughter

Inspired by over 20 years of notes written to her friend Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou composed Letter to My Daughter. Published in 2009 as the third book in a series of essays, Letter would eventually become a New York Times Bestseller. This creative take on an autobiography consists of short essays and poems depicting the life adventures of Maya Angelou. Dedicating the work to the thousands of women who view her as a mother figure, Angelou shares an intimate account of her upbringing.

Summary

In the Prologue, Angelou dedicates her letter to the daughter she never birthed but whom she sees in everyone. She tells the reader, “You will find in this book accounts of growing up, unexpected emergencies, a few poems, some light stories to make you laugh and some to make you meditate” (5). Angelou writes that she has “thousands of daughters” regardless of race, religion, sexuality, etc. (6).

Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri but raised in Stamps, Arkansas. She moved around often, having lived in San Francisco, New York City, Paris, Cairo, and West Africa. Despite constant movement, Angelou believes that one never truly leaves home. Everyone “carries the shadows, the dreams, the fears and dragons of home under one’s skin” (6).