Singin’ and Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Like Christmas

Singin’ and Swingin’ is the third volume of Maya Angelou’s seven-volume autobiography series. It was published in 1976 and was the first time an African-American woman had expanded her life story into a third volume. The title of the book is tied to the many similes Angelou used, including the words ‘sing and swing’ and ‘get merry like Christmas’

About Singin’ and Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Like Christmas in brief

Summary Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas Singin’ and Swingin’ is the third volume of Maya Angelou’s seven-volume autobiography series. It was published in 1976 and was the first time an African-American woman had expanded her life story into a third volume. In this volume, Angelou describes her struggles to support her young son, form meaningful relationships, and forge a successful career in the entertainment world. According to Angelou, the book’s title came from the rent parties of the 1920s and 1930s, where people would pay the host an inexpensive entry fee and then eat and drink throughout the weekend. Angelou was one of the first African- American female writers to publicly discuss her personal life. She also published two volumes of poetry entitled Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘fore I Diiie, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, and Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well. She has become recognized and highly respected as a spokesperson for Blacks and women. It made her, as scholar Joanne Braxton stated, “without a doubt… America’s most visible black woman autobiographer’s’“. The title of the book is tied to the many similes Angelou used, including the words ‘sing and swing’ and ‘get merry like Christmas’. The book is also considered the ‘old-fashioned’ title ‘‘Neondra’ – a folk-loric phrase that means ‘one of the long-deserved ascent to success and fulfillment’”.

The book was written between 1949 and 1955, and spans Angelou’’s early twenties. It is one of her three autobiographies, the other two being I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Gather Together in My Name. The third volume is expected to be published in the spring of 2015. It will be the first of a planned series of seven volumes, which will include poetry, travel, music, and travel stories. The fourth volume will be called ‘Just Give Me A Cool Drink Of Water ‘fore I’m A Woman’, and will be released in the summer of 2015, and the fifth will be known as ‘Oh Pray my Wings Are A Woman, A Man, A Woman.’ The last volume, ‘I Know Why The Caged bird Sings’ will be published next year, in the fall of 2014, and it will cover the early years of her career as a singer and songwriter. The fifth and final volume, titled ‘The Cagedbird Sings,’ is scheduled for release in the Spring of 2015 and will focus on her early years as a songwriter and performer. The seventh volume, entitled ‘Swingin’ And Swingin’, will be written in the Fall of 2014 and will cover her early and mid-20s as she begins her career in music.