Even the Stars Look Lonesome by Maya Angelou

I have been a huge fan of Maya Angelou's writing for decades now. In fact, I've even had the honor of seeing Ms. Angelou speak live in person twice in my lifetime and both experiences are ones that I will forever cherish.

I acquired the hardback edition of Even the Stars Look Lonesome by Maya Angelou in 1997 when it was first published. I can't remember now if I purchased the book for myself or if it was given to me as a gift. I do know, however, that I did read this book of biographical essays soon after it came into my possession... But for the life of me, I can't remember what I thought of this book at the time. So, I decided to reread this book once again.

Some of the biographical essays written by Maya Angelou were phenomenal in Even the Stars Look Lonesome... Some I thought weren't that enjoyable... And some were mediocre in my opinion. 

Maybe this is the reason why Even the Stars Look Lonesome by Maya Angelou didn't leave a lasting impact on me the first go around. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading this essay collection. I just didn't love the entire essay collection as much as I hoped I would.

My favorite quote from Even the Stars Look Lonesome by Maya Angelou comes from her essay titled 'Art For The Sake Of The Soul' on page 132 as follows:

We must replace fear and chauvinism, hate, timidity and apathy, which flow in our national spinal column, with courage, sensitivity, perseverance and, I even dare say, "love." And by "love" I mean that condition in the human spirit so profound it encourages us to develop courage. It is said that courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue with consistency. 

Below is the summary for Even the Stars Look Lonesome by Maya Angelou from Goodreads:

This wise book is the wonderful continuation of the bestselling Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now.

Even the Stars Look Lonesome is Maya Angelou talking of the things she cares about most. In her unique, spellbinding way, she re-creates intimate personal experiences and gives us her wisdom on a wide variety of subjects. She tells us how a house can both hurt its occupants and heal them. She talks about Africa. She gives us a profile of Oprah. She enlightens us about age and sexuality. She confesses to the problems fame brings and shares with us the indelible lessons she has learned about rage and violence. And she sings the praises of sensuality.

Even the Stars Look Lonesome imparts the lessons of a lifetime.

I am giving Even the Stars Look Lonesome by Maya Angelou a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!