I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: A BBC Radio 4 Dramatisation

by Maya Angelou, Adjoa Andoh (Narrator), Cecilia Noble (Narrator)

Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local "powhitetrash." At eight years old and back at her mother’s side in St. Louis, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age—and has to live with the consequences for a lifetime. Years later, in San Francisco, Maya learns that love for herself, the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors ("I met and fell in love with William Shakespeare") will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned.

Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings will touch hearts and change minds for as long as people read.

Genres: Audiobook, Nonfiction, Memoir, Classics

Audible Audio

First published October 4, 2018

About the author

Maya Angelou was an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. Angelou's series of seven autobiographies focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim.
She became a poet and writer after a string of odd jobs during her young adulthood. These included fry cook, sex worker, nightclub performer, Porgy and Bess cast member, Southern Christian Leadership Conference coordinator, and correspondent in Egypt and Ghana during the decolonization of Africa. Angelou was also an actress, writer, director, and producer of plays, movies, and public television programs. In 1982, she was named the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Angelou was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Beginning in the 1990s, she made approximately 80 appearances a year on the lecture circuit, something she continued into her eighties. In 1993, Angelou recited her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" (1993) at the first inauguration of Bill Clinton, making her the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961.
With the publication of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou publicly discussed aspects of her personal life. She was respected as a spokesperson for Black people and women, and her works have been considered a defense of Black culture. Her works are widely used in schools and universities worldwide, although attempts have been made to ban her books from some U.S. libraries. Angelou's most celebrated works have been labeled as autobiographical fiction, but many critics consider them to be autobiographies. She made a deliberate attempt to challenge the common structure of the autobiography by critiquing, changing, and expanding the genre. Her books center on themes that include racism, identity, family, and travel.

Reviews

[Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic BBC dramatisation, albeit a bit short as it was only one hour long.
Great writing, but I wanted more from the story. I'm not sure if it's because the dramatisation was shortened a great deal or if that's all there was to the story.

[Ace]

I listened to this BBC dramatisation of I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.

I didn't enjoy it and when it finished I went to Sparknotes online and I can see that I need to read the original memoir. There is a lot missing in this reading and it should be stated so in large print on the cover!

[Hayat · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning.”

I heard of Maya Angelou but I've never read anything by her so I got this short audiobook (1 hour 8 minutes) from my local library and I'm so glad I did.

Maya Angelou's experience growing up in America, up to the age of 16, was an emotional roller coaster ride. The twists and turns of the narrative hooked from the first sentence.

“Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between.”

For such a short audiobook, it packs a punch to the gut but it's not all about dark experiences, prejudice and abuse. It had light humour, life and beauty of spirit that overcomes any and all obstacles.

It was too short (probably an abridged version of the book) and left me wanting more. I'm thinking of reading more biographies. I can't wait to read more of her works.

I don't usually read non-fiction, unless it's for educational purposes but I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and The Choice: Embrace the Possible have changed my mind and now I'm thinking of selecting a few award winning books from this genre to add to my tbr list.

[Ala'a · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t realise this was a shortened version… simultaneously horrifying and weirdly hopeful

[Besmet El Manel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It might have been a bad idea to listen to this version without knowing anything about the book or the author *facepalm*

It was interesting and got my curiosity peeked but I just didn’t get it. I might red the full autobiography, there must be more to it!

[Sara Lapinova · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this BBC Radio 4 radio dramatisation of the book. The acting was wonderful and the added elements of music and background noises made it easily digestible and immersive to read as I listened to it whilst working. However, I do wish it was a bit longer! The dramatisation is only over an hour long whereas the normal audio book is 10 hours long.. so I may revisit it in physical form again at some point to make sure I got everything out of the story.

[Oana]

The reason I chose to listen to this was that I really love Adjoa Andoh's voice. By the time I realised this is an adaptation and not Maya Angelou's actual biography I simply didn't care because I was enthralled. Wonderful BBC Radio dramatisation. I won't give it any stars only because it's not the original book.

[Erich · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good but too short!

[Shineha Sath · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Isabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oops turns out I listened to a version that is like 1/10th of the length of the real one - shout out to “Valerie Day” for inadvertently making me realise this

I blame Libraries SA for only having this in their catalogue

[Ashley Gutierrez · Rating 3 out of 5]

did not realize this wasn’t the full version of the book )): need to go back and read the print version soon!

[Dasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll have to read the original, but even this dramatisation was fantastic. I am not really into memoirs, but Angelou's account is more interesting than even some fictional memoirs like those by Ishiguro.

[Xan Rooyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I was a little confused by the brevity of this story, but now I realize it was only the first in a series if installments. This is not usually the type of story I like to read, but it was only an hour long so perfect for my evening run. The narration with added dramatisation was great! I thoroughly enjoyed that, while the story itself was at times a little more difficult. There is a an incident of child sexual abuse and then rape of a child I was not prepared for and found extremely difficult to listen to in the dramatisation so I think this version should probably come with a trigger warning.

Wonderful narration. I hope they do all of the installments like this because I would definitely listen to more!

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I made a mistake of listening to the BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings before I read the book. It was only an hour long and I feel like it lacked detail which would have enriched the story.

[Nazam Sandhu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Storytelling at its finest. It doesn’t get better than this!

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it.’

Maya Angelou’s memoir is an unflinching portrait of girlhood, resilience and the power of language. Through a personal, yet universally resonant lens, Angelou reflects on racism, trauma and identity in a searing way. However, never without hope.

With such difficult themes, including racism, prejudice, abuse and sexual assault, it was a powerful and moving read (or listen) that did not dwell in the darkness. The light humour and defiance in her writing reinforced the healing force of storytelling.

The BBC dramatisation adds another layer of emotion, capturing the spirit of Angelou’s words beautifully. Despite being a short audiobook (approx. 1 hour), it certainly made an impression on me and has left me wanting to read more of Angelou’s work.

29/09/25 - 29/09/25
Audiobook (BBC Dramatisation) on Libby

[Jacqui · Rating 3 out of 5]

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, audiobook narrated by a cast of people. Published by BBC Audio, listened to using Libby via county library. Not rating as only 1 hour and an adaptation
A BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of Maya autobiography, I have wanted to listen to this book for a while but hadn’t realised I had borrowed a dramatisation of the book. This is not my favourite format to listen to a book, also I don’t know how much of the original book was missed out.
Gave 3 stars in the end

[Engrossed Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This dramatisation is one hour long and whilst performed well is no substitute for the full unabridged recording. Only read this if you literally have an hour to spare.

Whilst the main points - life up to age 17 are told, due to the brevity, it seems almost glossed over. We do get the pain and heartbreak of child abuse, rape and neglect, yet reading
Maya Angelou's words would have more impact.

[Sana]

I just finished listening to this dramatisation and wasn’t aware it had parts of the original work missing. Though it was emotive and harrowing, there was so much that felt incomplete, which makes sense now that I know there was indeed things left out. For that reason, I don’t feel I can accurately give a rating.

[Kayla Haviland · Rating 3 out of 5]

The BBC dramatization reading was good; however, it seemed to skip over and move quickly through big, shocking events in her life. I am going to go back and read the original version. So this review is a reflection of the dramatization, not the actual book Maya Angelou wrote. Good, but seemed to be missing parts.

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, but not what I was hoping for. I didn't realise that this was a BBC radio dramatization but thought I had downloaded the full audiobook. I guess it's a good introduction to know that you like the story, but doesn't go deep enough to feel invested in it.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick listen - I didn't know the storyline going in, so I was caught off guard by some of the content (consider this a trigger/explicit content warning). It's a hard listen, but it is worthwhile. I always appreciate a good BBC Radio drama as well.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an abridged production and I'm glad to have listened but I do wish I had just read the full book because now I still want to and while this was well done and gave me a taste, I'm not sure it counts as reading the book.

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is simply a rating for the very abridged Radio 4 dramatisation. Cut down to around a 10th of the original to just over 60 minute dramatisation I felt that I only got a flavour of the novel and so feel a little cheated and so will instead read the original in its entirety.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

So short but so powerful, uplifting, and poignant.
Everyone should read this!!!

[Stephen Tubbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a good appetiser for the book.

[Alvina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this before diving into the actual book and I enjoyed getting a glimpse into the book.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Taryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really edited down, I wish it was a bit longer to capture more of the original but still a really good dramatisation.

[Rebecca M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! What a journey growing up, please or be pleased. Love Maya and Baily’s connection and strength through hardships was so relatable. This is a must read!