BEST Maya Angelou Books & Quotes of All Time

Blog > Book Recommendations, Inspirational Quotes

by Arthur Worsley
M.A. Psychology, Oxford. McKinsey Alum. Founder & Editor at TAoL.

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Who Was Maya Angelou?

Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years.

Learn more about Maya Angelou

The Best Maya Angelou Books of All Time

Why these best Maya Angelou books and not others? To stay objective, I rank all my book recommendations by a combination of what’s most loved (Goodreads rating), what’s most popular (Goodreads review count) and what’s proven timlessly relevant (first publication date).

This isn’t a whimsical list. It’s a data-driven, crowdsourced collection of the best Maya Angelou books ever published as decided by book lovers like you.

And if you think something's missing? I LOVE book recommendations so if there are any other books by Maya Angelou that you think deserve mentioning, email me and I’ll be sure to include them in the next round of updates.

Until then, here are the best Maya Angelou books of all time...

1. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou

A beautifully written, raw and vulnerable autobiography of the author's early years and struggles overcoming trauma and racism - by poet, memoirist and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou.

Published 1969 // 289 pages // Rated 4.3 over 465,600 reviews on Goodreads

2. Gather Together in My Name - Maya Angelou

Published 1974 // 224 pages // Rated 4.3 over 14,400 reviews on Goodreads

3. And Still I Rise - Maya Angelou

Published 1978 // 54 pages // Rated 4.4 over 7,100 reviews on Goodreads

4. The Complete Collected Poems - Maya Angelou

Published 1994 // 273 pages // Rated 4.4 over 15,100 reviews on Goodreads

5. The Heart of a Woman - Maya Angelou

Published 1981 // 288 pages // Rated 4.2 over 21,500 reviews on Goodreads

6. Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas - Maya Angelou

Published 1976 // 288 pages // Rated 4.3 over 7,800 reviews on Goodreads

7. Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now - Maya Angelou

Published 1993 // 127 pages // Rated 4.3 over 9,300 reviews on Goodreads

8. Letter to My Daughter - Maya Angelou

Published 1987 // 192 pages // Rated 4.1 over 25,300 reviews on Goodreads

9. Phenomenal Woman - Maya Angelou

Four Poems Celebrating Women

Published 1995 // 22 pages // Rated 4.6 over 5,300 reviews on Goodreads

10. All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes - Maya Angelou

Published 1986 // 224 pages // Rated 4.3 over 6,600 reviews on Goodreads

Best Maya Angelou Quotes

Here are some of the best Maya Angelou of all time...

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