Gather Together in My Name

Gather Together in My Name (1974), the second of author Maya Angelou’s seven autobiographies, covers the three years right after the events of her more famous autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Although the book continues some of the same themes, such as Angelou’s loneliness, and received positive reviews, overall it was not as critically acclaimed as I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

The story begins in the years following WWII. Sixteen-year-old Angelou, otherwise known as “Rita” or “Marguerite,” has just given birth to an illegitimate son and lives with her mother and stepfather in San Francisco. There is optimism within the black community that perhaps with the hard-won victory in the world war and the defense of the United States, racism may be on the decline. That optimism soon disappears when reality sets in; in this disappointment, Angelou must figure out how to take care of herself and her son.

Angelou goes through a number of jobs and relationships in search of stability and a husband. Each new romantic relationship is as disappointing as the last as men take advantage of her. Still, she waits for her prince charming to fall into her life.