Gather Together In My Name

"A brilliant writer, a fierce friend and a truly phenomenal woman." — Barack Obama

Maya Angelou’s second volume of autobiography, the sequel to the legendary I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, begins in the wake of World War II. Now a young mother in California, seventeen-year-old Maya finds herself navigating a world that is as cruel as it is beautiful.

With a toddler to support and few resources at her disposal, Maya embarks on a series of transient jobs—from shop girl and waitress to the darker worlds of narcotics and prostitution. Through brief affairs and precarious friendships, she searches for a sense of belonging and a way to provide for her son. Captured with her signature dignity, wisdom, and humor, this volume is a raw and honest testament to the struggles of a young Black woman fighting for survival and identity in 1940s America.

Gather Together in My Name is a powerful exploration of the "rainbow in the clouds"—the hope and humanity that persist even in the face of discrimination and extreme poverty. It is a vital chapter in the life of a woman who would become one of the most celebrated voices in literary history.