By Zoe Nelson

Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou is one of the best memoirs I’ve ever read, and I basically breathe memoirs. The book chronicles Maya Angelou’s life through the lens of her relationship with her mother, Vivian Baxter, from their first meeting to her mother’s death. What surprised me about this book is how a mother who wasn’t present for the first thirteen years of Angelou’s life became her closest friend, her most trusted advisor, almost her God. I always believed that a tender mother is the best mother one can have, but after reading this book, I find myself mistaken. While Vivian has her moments, she is above all a no nonsense kind of woman. She always knew what Maya needed, and she wouldn’t let her get off the hook when she gave up on what she wanted. 

Here are some quotes from the book that I think are really important.

“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 didn’t lie easily. Not because I was so righteous, but because I was simply too proud to be caught in a lie and be forced to apologize.”

“Remember this: when you cross my doorstep, you have already been raised.”

“If you don’t protect yourself, you look like a fool asking somebody else to protect you.”

“I really saw clearly, and for the first time, why a mother is really important… she stands between the unknown and the known.”


All in all, I believe that Mom & Me & Mom is a must read.