I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
by Maya Angelou
39 jurisdictions · Banned 1970-2025 · Published
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is Maya Angelou's 1969 memoir of her childhood in the segregated South, including her rape at age eight, banned or restricted in 39+ U.S. jurisdictions.
Why it was banned
The memoir was one of the most-banned books of the 1980s and 1990s, almost always cited for its depiction of the sexual assault Angelou suffered as a child. Angelou wrote publicly about the bans and consistently defended the book's depiction of the abuse as essential to the survivor's account.
Cited reasons
- depiction of sexual abuse
- language
- racial content
Primary states
California, Texas, Alabama, Kansas
Why it matters
Caged Bird was the first memoir by a Black woman to become a mainstream American bestseller. Angelou's account of her childhood in Stamps, Arkansas, and St. Louis, told in lyrical prose, established the template for the modern American memoir of trauma and survival. Angelou recited On the Pulse of Morning at Bill Clinton's 1993 inauguration; she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010.
Themes
- memoir
- sexual abuse survival
- Southern Black childhood
- American classics
Awards
- Presidential Medal of Freedom (2010, body of work)
Where to buy
The Ledger recommends Black-owned booksellers. Each stocks this title or can order it.
- MahoganyBooksNational Harbor, Maryland · Founded
Independent bookstore specializing in books written for, by, and about people of the African diaspora.
- Marcus BooksOakland, California · Founded
The oldest independent Black-owned bookstore in the United States, named for political activist Marcus Garvey.
- Hakim's BookstorePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania · Founded
Philadelphia's oldest Black-owned bookstore, specializing in African American history, philosophy, and religion.
- The Lit. BarBronx, New York · Founded
The only independent bookstore in the Bronx, combining a curated bookshop with a wine bar.
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Related banned books
Books in the catalog that share themes with this one.
Documented by The Ledger. A record of what Black America built and what was taken.
Book cover via Open Library. Editorial use under fair use.