I was at a garage sale with my mom when I stumbled across this. Recognizing the author's name and knowing it was only costing me 50 cents made this an instant sell.

While I can say I haven't wasted 50 cents, I can't say I would buy this full price. Maya Angelou is a wonderful writer, to be sure, but maybe this isn't her best work. This is my first time reading her, and I'm not sure that she lived up to the hype. There are some beautiful snippets in here, verses that just grab your heart, but it felt more like self-help than anything else. My favorite line was this: “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. Try to be a rainbow in someone else's cloud. Do not complain. Make every effort to change things you do not like. If you cannot make a change, change the way you have been thinking. You might find a new solution.” It's a good line to live by, and the best way to begin this letter.

I also liked the title and her take on it: "I gave birth to one child, a son, but I have thousands of daughters. You are black and white, Jewish and Muslim, Asian, Spanish-speaking, Native Americans and Aleut. You are fat and thin and pretty and plain, gay and straight, educated and unlettered, and I am speaking to you all. Here is my offering to you."

If you like Maya Angelou, I'd recommend. If you've never read her before, try something else first.