💓 The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou – Book Review (4.5/5 Stars)
🗣️ “I’ve always heard of Maya Angelou... but I didn’t really know who she was until now.”
Same, friend. SAME. And wow — what a way to be introduced.
📚 Affiliate link: Grab The Heart of a Woman on Amazon
⚠️ Spoiler Alert!
This review contains FULL SPOILERS, including the ending. I spill all the tea. Read on only if you're okay with that!
💭 First Impressions: Who Knew Maya Angelou Was THIS Funny?
Listen. I opened this book expecting, I don’t know… intimidating literary greatness? Instead, I got filthy jokes, sharp observations, and a woman who has LIVED — and writes like it.
I’m not exaggerating when I say parts of this had me cackling. Maya’s writing is confident, witty, and unapologetically real. Her ability to tell a story is just chef’s kiss. She curses, she jokes, she sings (literally — I listened to the audiobook and she sings in it), and she hits you with truth bombs you didn’t even see coming.
That said… I’m docking half a star because the first 100 pages were a bit slow for me. Also, rumor has it this is her “weakest” autobiography — and if this was the weak one? Buckle up.
⭐ Final rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
🚨 Trigger Warnings
✔️ Racism / racial slurs
✔️ Sexism and misogyny
✔️ Domestic abuse
✔️ Infidelity
✔️ Political violence (mentioned)
✔️ Strong language
✔️ Mild sexual content
✔️ References to colonialism and war
🧠 What Is The Heart of a Woman About? (Full Summary – Spoilers Ahead!)
🛶 Houseboats & Billie Holiday? Sure, Why Not
We pick up with Maya living on a houseboat commune in California with her teenage son Guy. Yes, that Guy — her witty, brilliant, opinionated child who’s already somehow cooler than most adults.
Maya soon realizes she needs a more stable environment, so they move to a proper house. Around this time, she befriends jazz legend Billie Holiday, who sings to Guy and casually predicts Maya will be famous — not as a singer, but as a writer. (Girl knew!)
🗽 Next Stop: Harlem
Feeling unfulfilled by showbiz, Maya heads to New York, where she becomes part of the Harlem Writers Guild and gets politically involved. She meets Martin Luther King Jr., helps organize the “Cabaret for Freedom” to raise money for the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference), and becomes the Northern Coordinator for the organization.
Her son Guy is growing up fast, which means they’re entering that weird teenage boundary-dance — Maya wants to protect him, but he’s got opinions, political passions, and zero interest in being coddled.
💔 Engaged, But Then Africa Calls
Maya gets engaged to a nice-enough guy named Thomas Allen… but then meets Vusumzi Make, a charismatic South African activist. One poetic political conversation later, she dumps her fiancé and moves to London and then Cairo with Make.
She’s swept up in his world of activism, idealism, and dramatic speeches. And for a while, she’s happy.
💸 Financial Mess & Frustration in Cairo
Reality sets in hard. Make is charming… but terrible with money. They get evicted, Maya has to hustle for work, and eventually she becomes the first female editor of the Arab Observer, an English-language paper.
Meanwhile, Make’s infidelity, money mismanagement, and controlling nature chip away at the relationship. Maya decides she’s done.
🌍 Liberia, Ghana & A Motorcycle Crash
Maya takes a job in Liberia and heads to Accra, Ghana, where Guy is accepted to the University of Ghana. But tragedy strikes: he’s in a serious motorcycle accident. Maya is devastated but resilient. She stays and takes a job at the university to support them both.
Guy eventually recovers, and Maya sends him off to college. As she watches her son head into adulthood, she reflects on her own transformation — from performer to activist to mother to writer.
And that’s where the book ends — with Maya, strong and solo, stepping into a new phase of life.
📝 What I Loved
✅ The humor: Maya is FUNNY. Like, sitcom-level funny in some spots.
✅ The honesty: She never sugarcoats the struggles of motherhood, love, or politics.
✅ The history: You get behind-the-scenes access to the civil rights movement, from inside the room.
✅ The language: Beautiful, effortless, and poetic even when she’s cursing someone out.
✅ The audiobook: Read by Maya herself — her voice adds so much soul. She even sings!
❌ What Didn’t Work for Me
✖️ Slow start: The first chunk meandered a bit for me.
✖️ Lack of focus: At times, the story felt more like a series of vignettes than a tight arc (but maybe that’s the point).
📌 Buy the Book
📚 Snag The Heart of a Woman on Amazon
Support Maya’s legacy and support your bookshelf.
📚 If You Liked This, You Might Also Love:
👉 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings – Maya’s legendary first autobiography
👉 Just as I Am by Cicely Tyson – Life story of another powerful, barrier-breaking Black woman
👉 Heavy by Kiese Laymon – A raw, poetic memoir about Black identity, weight, and survival
👉 Born a Crime by Trevor Noah – Funny, sharp, and deeply insightful take on race and growing up
✨ Final Thoughts
I picked this book up not knowing what to expect. Now I’m low-key obsessed. Maya Angelou is funny, unfiltered, and unforgettable, and The Heart of a Woman is a fierce ride through motherhood, revolution, and self-discovery.
🎤 4.5 stars from me — and only because I want room to go higher for her other books.
Have you read this one? Are you a Maya Angelou superfan or just discovering her like me? Let me know in the comments — and don’t forget to check out the audiobook if you love memoirs read by the author. Trust me, it’s ✨ magic ✨.
Comments
Post a Comment