Mom & Me & Mom

Spoiler Alert: Mother and daughter are one in the same.

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A beautiful portrait of the life of one of the greatest writers of all time and a striking look at one of her most important relationships, Mom & Me & Mom follows Maya Angelou as she navigates growing up and growing to love her mother: Vivian Baxter. In incredibly written, almost unparalleled prose, Dr. Angelou takes readers on an illuminative journey complete with love and loss. Motherhood is difficult. In many cases a girl's relationship with her mother is fraught and delicate -- often the culmination of years of acquired pain and misplaced anger. This autobiography however, is told through a lens of reverence and understanding. Despite being abandoned by her mother at a young age, only to later reunite with her at 12 years old, Maya, our young protagonist, speaks highly of her beautiful, larger than life mother. While their relationship is far from perfect, the respect and gratitude Maya has for her mother practically leaps off the pages. Vivian Baxter was a strong, standup woman. She taught Maya to be true to herself, that no man can steal her light, and to always always make an entrance. The lessons that Maya learned from her mother not only shape her as a woman but as a mother herself as well. In this beautiful story of a life coming full circle and a reflection on the many trials and tribulations of growing up and raising another, readers will be struck by the gems of wisdom and the pure, brave acts of love. Despite taking place in the 1950s, and relating experiences specific to a real-life individual, the relatability is not lost on readers. In fact, the universal themes of love and sacrifice are so powerful as to even remind readers that at our core, we are more alike than we are different. A truly lovely and memorable work of art, this story is what made me fall in love with Maya Angelou. For in her words and the pictures she painted, I not only recognized myself, but my mother, brother, father and everyone in between. With a strong emphasis on the strength of the female spirit and the invisible but unbreakable bonds of motherhood, this story is a beautiful love letter to a woman who used to light up every room she entered. Inspired by her mother's beauty and charm, but more-so by her grace and attitude, young Maya learns that they are connected not only by blood but by an infinite ocean of love and other immeasurable forces.

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Favorite Quotes: “Love heals. Heals and liberates. I use the word love, not meaning sentimentality, but a condition so strong that it may be that which holds the stars in their heavenly positions and that which causes the blood to flow orderly in our veins.” ~~ “I will look after you and I will look after anybody you say needs to be looked after, any way you say. I am here. I brought my whole self to you. I am your mother.” ~~ A woman needs to support herself before she asks anyone else to support her.” ~~ “Go," she whispered. "Go. Show them you spell your name W-O-M-A-N.” ~~ "There has never been anyone greater than you."