A Song Flung Up to Heaven
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A Song Flung Up to Heaven Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Maya Angelou (Author, Narrator), Random House Audio (Publisher)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 870 ratings
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The culmination of a unique achievement in modern American literature: the six volumes of autobiography that began more than thirty years ago with the appearance of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

A Song Flung Up to Heaven opens as Maya Angelou returns from Africa to the United States to work with Malcolm X. But first she has to journey to California to be reunited with her mother and brother. No sooner does she arrive there than she learns that Malcolm X has been assassinated.

Devastated, she tries to put her life back together, working on the stage in local theaters and even conducting a door-to-door survey in Watts. Then Watts explodes in violence, a riot she describes firsthand.
Subsequently, on a trip to New York, she meets Martin Luther King, Jr., who asks her to become his coordinator in the North, and she visits black churches all over America to help support King's Poor People's March.

But once again tragedy strikes. King is assassinated, and this time Angelou completely withdraws from the world, unable to deal with this horrible event. Finally, James Baldwin forces her out of isolation and insists that she accompany him to a dinner party - where the idea for writing I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is born. In fact, A Song Flung Up to Heaven ends as Maya Angelou begins to write the first sentences of Caged Bird.

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  1. Listening Length
    4 hours and 41 minutes
  2. Author
    Maya Angelou
  3. Narrator
    Maya Angelou
  4. Audible release date
    April 5, 2002
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Random House Audio
  7. ASIN
    B00006668U
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 4 hours and 41 minutes
Author Maya Angelou
Narrator Maya Angelou
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date April 05, 2002
Publisher Random House Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B00006668U
Best Sellers Rank #52,406 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#86 in Cultural & Regional Biographies (Audible Books & Originals)
#153 in Biographies of Authors
#656 in Author Biographies

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
870 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Ilan Israel
5.0 out of 5 stars One of Maya Angelou’s autobiographical works, her words went to heaven and back
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2022
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This is such a beautiful work.
Maya Angelou led such a diverse, unusual life and wrote about it with so much beauty and a touch of self-deprecation. This volume, which talks of her life around the time of her fortieth birthday, combines the personal with the political, the mundane with the celestial. It can be read on its own, or added to the other volumes of her autobiographical series. It contains so much wisdom in its relatively few pages that it is enough , on its own, to inspire people.
Maya Angelou spent this time of her life in the company of ( black ) literary royalty and Black politics, and give us an insight of what led to the Watts riots in LA or of Harlem on the day that MLK was killed.
If anyone reads this volume who doesn’t know her poetry or her essays, I hope it will lead them to discover more about this great woman.
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Kim L
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! What a writer
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2022
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Well written,flowing words,amazing journey by an incredible woman. May she interesting in peace. I am so grateful to have heard her speak and read her books.
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David S.
4.0 out of 5 stars Maya Angelou's six-volume autobiography series - book 6
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2022
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My wife is a big fan of Maya Angelou so I got the series for her. She told me that while she still finds Maya's life story fascinating, unlike the earlier books in the series, she found this one to be a bit slower, more difficult to get into, and not as deep and insightful as she had anticipated. Nonetheless, she found this final book in Angelou's autobiography series a rewarding read.
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Aniysa
5.0 out of 5 stars What a great look back at a life well lived...
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2023
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Whether you are reading this to know more about Maya or as a glimpse into history that we have not seen. This book is a perfect walk through our recent history without the sensationalism that most storytellers deliver.

Perfect 10 as always Maya!
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THE MCWHORTERS
5.0 out of 5 stars INSIGHTFUL
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2023
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I love her poetry. This book gave me a smidgen of insight into Maya's personality and her journey into showing the world what a phenomenal writer she was.
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RocksOn Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb!
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2022
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Testimony of one of the most incredible women to grace the 20th century. Ms. Angelo strikes deep with her wisdom and humor. I had the pleasure to witness her speaking at the University of Iowa. She set the tempo by snapping her fingers and kept the same pace during her presentation. She was breathtaking!
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UlaTurn
5.0 out of 5 stars I appreciated that Angelou shared the good, the bad and the ugly in both books ...
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2018
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Maya Angelou's conversational style kept me turning the pages as I looked forward to each new chapter. The chapters were short and interesting! I had read I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS but did not realize that A SONG FLUNG UP TO HEAVEN was written first until the last page. I appreciated that Angelou shared the good, the bad and the ugly in both books without focusing on division. The latter also helped me understand some of what I read in the former.
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Top reviews from other countries

grace thurgood
5.0 out of 5 stars Love
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 26, 2023
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sreees
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read!!
Reviewed in India on July 1, 2020
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A must have book.
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sreees
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read!!
Reviewed in India on July 1, 2020
A must have book.
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Jerry Holtaway
5.0 out of 5 stars inspiring
Reviewed in France on July 27, 2014
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Maya Angelou brought me a unique take on the history I experienced during my simple, painless, white, suburban, middle class childhood. Thank you Maya for opening my eyes and heart through your lovely life story.
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Bims
5.0 out of 5 stars So sad it's over
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 1, 2014
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I'm so sad that this is the last in the series of Maya's auto biographies. I hungrily chomped through this last book in less than a day, a huge feat for someone who reads quite slowly. As always Maya's writing is so fluid and poetic you don't want to stop reading. She is able to transport the reader into each scene and with each book I'm left with a longing to be able to tell a story with such skill, precision, flurry, colour and ease. I only wish a similar book could have been written to capture her later years so that we can enjoy her story of how the success of her books further transformed her life beyond her wildest imagination.
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luigi brambilla
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 9, 2022
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Most second hand books I bought from this seller arrived in excellent condition, quick delivery and great prices.
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