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“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 really saw clearly, and for the first time, why a mother is really important. Not just because she feeds and also loves and cuddles and even mollycoddles a child, but because in an interesting and maybe an eerie and unworldly way, she stands in the gap. She stands between the unknown and the known.��

A refreshing slap in the face.

I had studied some of Angelou’s poems when I was in uni but I had never really made any research about who she was, as a woman, a daughter and a mum. I picked up this book upon Emma Watson’s praising comments. of her dropping copies of the book all over New York’s subway, I found it adorable �� I particularly liked the idea that she only chose Angelou’s book and that she encouraged people to pick up the book if they found it, read it and then leave it for someone else to find and read as well. The mere act of passing the book over to strangers comforted me with the idea that Mom & Me & Mom was a gift, it was a hereditary book that would connect everyone, mothers and daughters but also anyone who wanted to embark on such a beautiful human journey.

I discovered a Maya Angelou I wasn’t expecting (I was surprised to read about her short experience as a strip tease dancer!), but beyond her autobiographical journey, I rediscovered my bond with my own mum. I was raised by my dad and kind of related to the young Maya believing in the ‘abandonment�� of her own blood �� Just like the author, I understood later on that she never left me but rather made the best decision as a mother to take care of me. Mom & Me & Mom made me want to jump on a plane, and hug my mum tightly, if it hadn’t been for the pandemic. I feel honoured to have read about Vivian Baxter and have learnt a lot from her.

The rawness and honesty in Angelou’s voice enchanted me from her very first words, and I couldn’t believe this book had been published a year before her passing �� it sounds so universally timeless! The top quote I shared in my review made sense when I finished the book, and thus think including it at the beginning of the book was a very interesting choice �� it acted as a preface to an inherent truth, the one of being mother but also woman.

I will end this emotional review by quoting one last sentence from this wonderful book: “Go," she whispered. "Go. Show them you spell your name W-O-M-A-N.��