Gather Together in My Name (1974) is a memoir by African-American writer and poet Maya Angelou, the second of her seven autobiographies. The narrative follows Rita (Angelou) from the age of 17 to 19 as she becomes closer to her mother and tries to provide for her young son, but ultimately descends into a life of crime and misery. It expands on many of the themes from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, including motherhood and family, race and racism, identity, and education and literacy. Like many of Angelou's autobiographies, Gather Together describes her ongoing self-education. Though not as critically acclaimed as her first autobiography, it is considered better written and received mostly positive reviews. The book's title comes from the Bible, Matthew 18:19–20, and is meant to evoke loving relationships, in which adults can be honest with their children about their past. Consisting of a series of episodes loosely tied together by theme and content, the book intentionally parallels the chaos of adolescence; some critics found this structure unsatisfactory.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gather_Together_in_My_Name

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1377:

Pope Gregory XI entered Rome after a four-month journey from Avignon, returning the Papacy to its original city and effectively becoming the last Avignon Pope. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Gregory_XI

1524:

Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano set sail westward from Madeira to find a sea route to the Pacific Ocean. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_da_Verrazzano

1946:

The United Nations Security Council, the organ of the United Nations charged with the maintenance of international peace and security, held its first meeting at Church House in London. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council

1966:

A US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress collided with a KC-135 Stratotanker during aerial refueling over the Mediterranean Sea, dropping three hydrogen bombs on land near Palomares, Spain, and a fourth one into the sea. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1966_Palomares_B-52_crash

1991:

Harald V, the current King of Norway, succeeded to the throne upon the death of his father Olav V. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harald_V_of_Norway

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

slug: 1. Any of many terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks, having no (or only a rudimentary) shell. […] 2. (journalism) A title, name or header, a catchline, a short phrase or title to indicate the content of a newspaper or magazine story for editing use. […] 3. (web design) The last part of a clean URL, the displayed resource name, similar to a filename. 4. (obsolete) A hindrance, an obstruction. […] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/slug

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

As we enjoy great Advantages from the Inventions of Others, we should be glad of an Opportunity to serve others by any Invention of ours, and this we should do freely and generously.   --Benjamin Franklin https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin