Genre: Memoir / History

Pages: 322

First published: 1976

Original language: English

The plot: The third volume of Maya Angelou’s celebrated memoir series details her early adult life, where music, showbusiness and motherhood are her focus. She tell us of her first marriage, her experiences as an accomplished singer and dancer, and her time touring Europe and Africa in Porgy and Bess.

What did I think of this book?

Discovering Maya Angelou changed my life. Put simply, she was an incredible woman. Although known principally for her poetry and memoirs, she was a woman who lived many lives : activist, writer, dancer, singer, stripper and (briefly) a prostitute. She fought against numerous challenges across her 86 years, including sexual assault, domestic violence and racism. She consistently demonstrated a remarkable strength of character, meeting every challenge with resilience, good humor and triumph. It isn’t necessary to read the memoirs in order, as each is its own stand-alone work, but once you start, you probably won’t want to stop.

Singin’ and Swingin’ is a funny, eloquent and poetic look at a different chapter of Angelou’s life, and one that is little discussed in comparison to her later work with the Civil Rights movement. A teenage mother to her son Clyde (he later changed his name to Guy), she is now beyond the years when he is solely dependent on her, and able to focus on her career. And what a career it was. A talented singer and dancer, she first takes a job dancing in a seedy bar, before being offered a slot on the nationwide tour of Porgy and Bess, which later moves to Europe and Africa. Along the way, she meets and marries her first husband, and divorces him 3 years later. After spending many months away from Clyde, she eventually realizes how much her absence has affected him, and they are able to rebuild their relationship.

What was most interesting about this book?

I don’t believe I’m alone in knowing little about this period of Angelou’s life. We think of her now as a poet and activist, whose words have passed into common parlance and whose poems are known throughout the world (“like dust, I’ll rise”) but rarely as the talented singer and dancer she was. Her story is intriguing because her life was so full : it is the very definition of a life lived well. Each volume of her books never ceases to amaze me.

What am I going to take away from this book?

That the seasons of our lives are ever changing and fluid – it is possible to be many different people over the course of a lifetime. This book taught me that the key to fulfillment is to say yes to every opportunity (as Maya Angelou does, frequently). She approached every hurdle, every new turn in the road as an opportunity, and took each one with grace, dignity and gusto. We never know where our lives will take us, or who we might meet on the way. Whilst I doubt I’ll be heading to Europe as a singer and dancer any time soon, this book in its own way gave me hope for the future, that new opportunities and better days are ahead.

Rating : 4/5