Here is my book review/report on the book called: “All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes” by Maya Angelou
Well, this is another book that I just finished and it was a book that was provided to me by the Instructor of my personal growth course.
I have heard many poems and stories by Maya Angelou, but I never read any of her books. I enjoyed this book, it was not bad. I got a little lost, but I had to start all over again just to make sure that I did not misread what was going on in the beginning.
This book was an actual account of her trip to Africa in the early 1960’s. This book made me think about my own life and how when I was ten years old my family and I moved to Germany. My dad was in the military and we relocated to Wurzburg, Germany and that whole experience changed my life forever. Going to Europe in the early eighties was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.
Anyway back to Maya Angelou’s story she gathered a brief journal of accounts that were remarkable and the whirlwind opportunities, struggles and awesome experiences of a B;ack American in Africa at that time, really gives a wonderful look into what was going on during that time period and made me appreciate what Black Americans had to contend with during that time period and how the culture slowly changed for the better as time went on.
Things are much better in today’s society, of course there is room for improvement and advancement further, but things are certainly not like it was during the 1950’s and 1960’s in America for Black people and people of other disadvantaged groups. I would recommend this book as it was a look at things through the eyes of a black woman and how she was able to navigate through the tides of the culture at that time and actually succeed in life and bring awareness to the Black American struggles of the time.
I am glad that I decided to read this book, it was a good read after all.
Thank you,
Linwood H Gordon
