Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now

So poignant and powerful. Huge fan of author. I identified with her journey as a single mother. Her struggle to make a life for she and her son. I respect her wisdom and her outlook on life with faith.

I expect I will like the content of this book. This rating is based on price/value. Even at 1 penny
+ shipping, I expect more for $4.00 than a book that is 140 pages long, big print, an entire page used for each section title (only) and there are 24 pages so used. What follows each section is VERY brief. Yes, Maya Angelou is a woman of great intellect, experience, and wisdom but I imagine her to also be a frugal woman and this purchase was by a woman who tries to be frugal and in this case failed. I suggest that if you wish to be frugal you borrow this book or buy it used somewhere which costs less. PS--this is not a complaint about the store or the vendor's shipping prices--which I find reasonable. I probably should have done more research before buying. If you have not read "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" I hope you will. And I, too, mourn Maya Angelou's recent death.

The author is greatly, overly, celebrated.
Maya is the type of person whose outlook is of someone waiting to confront others mistakes or shortcomings. Much like a tiger circling its prey - waiting to pounce at the opportune moment.
It's perfectly alright for Maya to embrace outdated black cultural references, but if a white person disagrees or interprets any variance of occurrence in her writings to ANY extent Maya doesn't agree, the white is mentioned in her writing as a racist (direct overtone), and looked upon (portrayed) as an undeclared racist.
We all have different cultures and perceptions. Right, wrong, or indifferent, we each are entitled to our perceptions without being subjected to bias determinations, and open innuendo.
When you write and touch many people's, you have a responsibility to be fair, impartial, and not besmirch others simply because you have the power of the pen.
She is neither incredibly talented nor is she a beacon of light to those she touches with her literature. It is another sad attempt to promote a "poor us" mentality, and an attempt by the author to exact remuneration and retribution for past slights against herself and other blacks.
If not for the continual bashing and whining, it would be pleasurable reading.

The majority of the wisdom shared in this wisp of a book seemed detached and uninspiring. When it was connected to a story, such as with the late Mrs. Annie Johnson of Arkansas in "New Directions"; to Angelou as a 21-year-old single mom looking for a second-hand style in "Getups," and as a 16-year-old fired from her job in "Further New Direction," the point was made more poignant and the subtleties more substantial. I would not recommend this book for anyone new to the works of Maya Angelou.

Maya Angelou lived in a desperate time, and in a desperately difficult family situation. There was a person in her early life who lifted her up so she could see her own worth. From there, this Lady has grown wise about human life, and how to live it wisely, fully, and more happily.

I love her chapters in this book on New Directions and the one on The Sweetness of Charity. Her viewpoints in the chapter called "What's So Funny" needs to be read often. She notes that when we as audiences indulge entertainers in their use of profanity or vulgarity by laughing and applauding it, "we are like the Romans at a colosseum battle between unarmed Christians and raging lions." God bless her for stating that "obesity is not funny, vulgarity is not amusing, insolent children and submissive parents are not the characters we want to admire or emulate."

Ms. Angelou's first book, her autobiography,"I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" was my first introduction to her writing. Much courage was needed to write that book, of a painful childhood. It is beautifully written, but was so hard for me to read. This author has the words and the heart to reach the heart of anyone who has a heart.

This book is dedicated to Oprah Winfrey. It is a treat to read.

"Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now" is a delightful collection of short prose writings by Maya Angelou. Most of the mini-essays in this book are only 2 or 3 pages long, making this a good selection for those whose hectic schedules force them to do their reading in "found moments" during the day. In the book Maya reflects on various topics: spirituality, style, travel, sensuality, and being a woman. Many of the selections contain autobiographical reminiscences.
As someone who has read Angelou's book-length autobiographical narratives and poetry collections, I was fascinated to see her writing in a different mode. In "Wouldn't Take Nothing" she reflects on some of the people of her life: her son, her grandmother, her voice teacher, and others. Her musings on spirituality have an inclusive, multi-faith flavor.
Some of Angelou's observations may seem a bit obvious. For example, in the opening mini-essay she declares, "Being a woman is hard work." But what may obvious to some may be a revelation to others, and Angelou doesn't shy away from reaching out to that second group. And throughout the book her writing is graced with moments of wit and passion.
In the essay entitled "Power of the Word," Angelou writes, "I'm a spring leaf trembling in anticipation." I have no doubt that this appealing collection will leave readers trembling with anticipation for Maya Angelou's next book.

This is almost like a daily affirmation book by poet Maya Angelou. It contains affirmations on every day life and issues that we all face as a human beings. My personal favorite is her mantra that when one cannot follow the way of the world, than he/she should create his/her own path. While doing that a person of real grace will accept God because God gives us purpose and God's love provides hope that there is something good for us out there. We all have to find our own way to get there. But that way we should still be a virtuous people with manners and respect towards others. Our unique style will make us a brand that will be attractive to the outside world, simply because we embrace it ourselves. While I understand Ms. Angelou's take on racism, I must add that racism in its exclusiveness, meanness and repulsion is no different from sexism, intolerance to people who are different in any way or are treated as a second class citizens due to their national origin. Wonderful book to keep in pocket and refer to in time of need for assurance and comfort. Simply written with wisdom of the woman who has seen, felt and experienced the world.

These brief essay- stories aim to teach life-wisdom. They are for the most part enjoyable and interesting.Angelou teaches courage and love of life. She writes of her family and takes strength from the example of her grandmother. She is a strong champion of woman's equality in work and ability. She speaks out loudly against Racism.
Perhaps she does not keep in mind sometimes that few people are as talented and as capable as her. But on the whole I found this a quick, enjoyable read.
She knows how to tell a story and she has strong feelings about the right way, the courageous way , to live a life.

I tend to borrow books from the library and use my limited funds to purchase only those that truly help me grown in some way. This book is one of those. I bought it before I had to return the library's copy. It is a small, easy-to-read book whose simplicity belies its wisdom and power. I have harvested some of that wisdom to assist me in conveying lessons and messages to others. Most recently, I used the essay "Death and the Legacy" as a reading for meditation at my grandma's memorial last month. My reading of that powerful piece inspired my cousin to read this anthology and to ask me for more Angelou recommendations. The essay that speaks most to me, however, is "New Directions," which I use to teach a seminar to people living with HIV. It is an inspiring essay which points out that we have "the right and the responsibility" to step off paths which are not working for us. What a great message of personal accountability! This is truly a wonderful book--my favorite among many Angelou books that I love.

"Wouldn't take nothing for my journey now" is a series of short essays by Maya Angelou on a myriad of topics such as pregnancy, self-worth, style, death, friends, family, racism and many other topics.

This books is amazing, I could not put it down. In a couple of hours I was done with the book, and by the end I felt so much better. It is both uplifting and full of wisdom and advice. It is the type of book that you read with a highlighter, make notes and show to friends. The type of book that you quote and say "But, of course" this makes sense.

As another reviewer mentioned, some of the things she writes about are self-evident, but sometimes we need a reminder, something that tells us "go on". This book does just that.

The essays are so varied that more than one is bound to hit close to home. Her advice in each essay is advice that comes from experience and the wisdom that has come from that experience. She writes like a woman who has lived a lot, pondered a lot and has resolved some basic things as her truth.

When talking about womanhood, she borrows a bit from Shakespeare and says "A rose by any other name may smell as sweet," and then adds "but a woman called by a devaluing name will only be weakened by the misnomer" About death she writes that she "seems at peace with the idea that a day ill dawn when I will not longer be among those living in this valley of strange humors" and that she is capable of accepting this but "unable to accept the death of anyone else." She then launches onto a empathic discourse about the death of a loved one.

Each essay is full of wisdom and advice and this is something that everyone should read. It is also a great present to give.

It's a pleasure to read these essays written from the heart. A particularly memorable one describes a visitor to her Mama's store in Stamps, Arkansas who proceeded to complain about everything from the weather to work. Later, Mama would say to Maya, "Sister, nobody likes to listen to someone who whines and complains... lots of people - black and white, rich and poor - who went to bed last night and never woke up this morning, would give almost anything to have one more day of work or one more day in the summer's heat. Sister, if you don't like something, change it. And if you can't change it, change the way you think about it."

A short collection of concise mediation, possessing much wisdom and inspiration. What I appreciated most about this volume is that I could see this respected figure as a developing human, still on her journey, still fathering wisdom through experience, and still struggling with the unending life process of becoming who we are.

I loved this book. It consists of short essays on life lessons and meaning.

I especially appreciated 'New Directions' which my daughter read out loud to me at a time when I was dealing with my own life changes. The essay was comforting and hopeful.

'Living Well Living Good' is an essay about how riends, family, closeness, and fun are all necessary in order to be happy.

I think everyone needs to read 'A Day Away' to appreciate the gifts that solitude and seclusion bring us. We can learn to give ourselves permission to accept this gift.

I highly recommend this book.

I've never read the book before but I plan to. the first time I heard her poetry was when I watched the movie "Poetic Justice". I saw that movie the first time when I was four. It was great. I'm eleven now and I didn't know until now that she wrote it.I checked out her website as soon as possible and tryed to find the book with all the poetry from poetic justice in it quick. to this day I still love that movie. the poetry was spectacular,extravagant and sensational. It was so great that's only half of what It means to me.I can't think of anything else to say but,that It was wonderful and I hope to meet her one day.

This is my favorite of the books I've read in which Maya Angelou sits around contemplating life, though it's perhaps not the most representative of her work. For the moment she sets aside her intellectual self, her history, her issues -- anything by which you might identify her as anything but a fellow member of the human race. In this book you're left with the essential Maya -- the wise woman with the great heart and the steady mind who speaks out from timeless space. It's an easy read, and life feels better when you're done. And if you're at the end left in doubt whether she's also a world-wise and savvy intellect, then anything else she has written will put your doubts to rest.
I love Maya Angelou.

"I remind myself that it is sufficient that I know what I know and know that without believing that I will always know what I know or that what I know will always be true."

Fortunately, the foregoing sentence from "Death and the Legacy" on page 48 of Angelou's book is not typical of the writing style in the rest of it, else I would never have labored through it nor have written this review. With very few exceptions, and the quoted sentence is by far the worst, Angelou's writing is clear, straightforward, and unlikely to send the reader scurrying off to find a dictionary. At times, she even waxes poetic, both literally and figuratively, and at those times she is a delight to read. For the rest, while I find the writing not particularly inspirational, neither do I find it stultifying or insulting to the reader's intelligence. It is, let us conclude, quite agreeable.

This little book, of small dimensions and only 139 pages, is a collection of homilies and philosophical reveries. Except in the most general sense, none is connected to any other, so there is no thread, theme, or "story" in the book. Even the longest, most developed, essay requires a mere seven pages, and one is as brief as a single page, so this is hardly a book in which one can lose oneself or find much in the way of diversion.

The book can easily be devoured in a single sitting, but that's probably the wrong way to approach it. If one really wants to savor and appreciate the observations, reactions, and "lessons" in these ruminations, it's better to take them one at a time, consider each one for a while, and only then read the next.

The one thing that strikes me most forcefully about this book is that it reveals a much different Angelou than we find in her earlier, autobiographical writings. The angry young woman of the earlier books has become a more mature, gentle, understanding and almost forgiving person in this one. I say "almost" because the sections entitled "Voices of Respect"and "Brutality Is Definitely Not Acceptable" present a few things that Angelou is not yet prepared to forgive, and the angry, fierce young woman of Angelou's autobiographical writings comes close to reappearing. Yet, her extraordinarily gentle and understanding treatment of racism in "Our Boys" portrays a graciousness not often observed in her earlier books, and her poem in that section is nothing short of inspirational:

I note the obvious differences
between each sort and type,
but we are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

To see the full poem, by all means do read the book, particularly if you have read Angelou's autobiographical works. This one will show another side of this literary lady.

My first experience with Maya Angelou's writing and now I can see why she is so highly acclaimed. These were brief insights on a variety of topics that reveal a very insightful, intelligent, deep, wise woman. Her writing style is earthy, direct, practical and comforting. I read the whole thing in a few hours.

1 easy chair, sofa, or bed - 1 set of comfy clothes - 1 cup of something hot - 1 rainy, lazy weekend afternoon - 1 copy of Wouldn't Take Nothing For My Journey Now - Put on comfy clothes (or stay in pajamas) - Take hot cup of cocoa, coffee, tea, etc. - Curl up with book (getting out of bed optional) - Open book and prepare to be taught, inspired, and moved by these brief, but thought-provoking, writings of Maya Angelou, who always seems to know just how to touch the spirit.

I really enjoy hearing �Maya� talk on Oprah. I have also enjoyed the few articles I have read by her. I had hoped this book would give me more information about her and her ideas. I had really wanted to love this book.
Instead this book reads like her script for the Oprah show. The thoughts, while interesting, are half developed and left me hungry for more and dissapointed because it wasn�t given. Every chapter concerns some specific idea or thought. She tells a brief story about it and then gives a �truth� that isn�t necessarily linked, and then she ends the chapter. For example in her chapter �Jealousy� she says that jealousy is interesting and adds spice to a relationship but that too much can be �life-threatening.� She doesn�t expand on this or explain it. This book should have been called �Quotes from Maya� because that is all you get.

This is a very well written and thought provoking collection of life lessons. The book has no plot because there is no one story that can explain all of the things that Angelou learned about and formed opinios on. Angelou's writing is very poetic and flowing, yet at the same time meaningful and thought provoking. Each short chapter tells the reader about one message to think about or lesson to learn. Some are told as events in Maya's life and others are little stories that tell of important issues such as sexism, charity, or choices. In this book racism was not noticibly a factor in the majority of the writing, however, there are some chapters about racism in Angelou's life. The book mainly focuses on her life as a strong, bold, woman coming across difficult situations that challenge her morals. Angelou was able to fit all of the lessons she learned about in one lifetime into a short book to share with the world.

This is the first of Maya Angelou's books that I have read, and I was amazed at her ability to make the reader feel tranquil while reading through her thoughts and feelings. I wish that there were more people like Maya Angelou in the world today.

This book made me want to be a better person... and I thought that I was already decent until I realized there is always something upon which I can improve.

Maya Angelou is a prolific writer, and this book is more proof of that. This book was given to me by Maureen A. Fay, during her final year as President of the University of Detroit Mercy, my alma mater.

Each short chapter offers words of wisdom, inspiration, and reflection. One deals with the difficulty of death. Another on how to take a 24 hour vacation (buy the book for this, if nothing else!). One deals with struggling with faith. I read the book in one setting, but have gone over it again and again.

I am forever grateful to Sister Fay for giving me this book. Why not make it a gift for yourself & a friend. Of course, 5/5 stars!

Wouldn't Take Nothing For My Journey Now is a collection of Angelou's thoughts on and experiences with life. The book covers a wide range of situations that many people will encounter on their journey to everlasting. Angelou handles these situations with grace and imparts to her readership the universal lessons she's come to know as truth. A very quick and satisfying read.

Read a bit, close your eyes and enjoy being a part of this woman's consciousness. Take the messages into your life. Become the person you would like to be, one who reaches out to all around us and yet maintains quietness that is the core of knowing yourself.

This is my very first book by Maya Angelou,somehow I thought all her books were poems and I don't like poems. I really enjoyed this book it gave me a lot to think about as well as awakened things that I hadn't thought seriously about, I look forward to reading more of her books.

I really enjoyed reading "Wouldn't Take Nothing For My Journey Now" by Maya Angelou. In this book, she writes about the positive and negative expericences she has had in her life. By reading this book, you can she that Maya is a very intelligent woman. A couple of topics she writes about in this book are Religion and Living good and living well. She gives advice on how you can be a better human being. This book makes you think about things you may take for granted. It also makes you see things in a different light. I haven't read any of Maya's other books, but now I definitely will! This book is a must-read.

I have read a few good books this summer, but this one is by far the greatest! I read it with a quickness. It is so full of wisdom. This is one book that I will read again and again. I recommend it to all!

Maya Angelou is such an insightful writer. She has a very colorful background that explains why she is so well liked. She certainly knows about many, many aspects of life and has come a long way in her life. She is a true role model in the world. Not just for black women but for all women.

This book is like food to my soul. Maya Angelou is poetic in her writting and her spirit flows from each page. I love this book! I have read and reread this book many times. It is a very easy read and a must for every woman. Her advise comes from a woman who knows pain, passion, and love. This is an advise book for living and offers strength to those in search of spiritual uplifting. When I read Maya's wise words it is like having a deep conversation with my great grandmother. I love this book!

This is the best book that I have ever read. Every book she has wrote was great but this one is different. It is more unique and interesting. This book is about a black girl who was called a woman instead of something else. I really enjoyed learning about her multi-leveled life as I read this book. Maya Angelou is a wise woman that has a great talent and a beautiful heart. I recommend this book to any woman...

When I picked out this book I knew it will be a very good book.The book was about a black girl who was glad to be called a women instead of a girl or something else. The author is one of my best writers ever MaYA Angelou. She was talking about how it feels to be called a women. I recommend this book 5 stars because i think it have been the best book i ever read.

Maya Angelou is a timeless treasure, and so is this book. It takes you on a journey that can help anyone rise above difficulties and sorrow. I highly recommend it for anyone who is searching for meaning in life, this book gives it!