 Like Angelou 's previous autobiographies , Song received mostly positive reviews , although as the Poetry Foundation has said : " Most critics have judged Angelou 's subsequent autobiographies in light of her first , and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings remains the most highly praised . " Kim Hubbard of People Magazine , for example , found Song unsatisfying and " hastily assembled " , but poetic like Caged Bird . Many reviewers appreciated what Kirkus Reviews called Angelou 's " nice structural turn " of framing Song with two assassinations . Paula Friedman of The New York Times Book Review appreciated Angelou 's " occasions of critical self @-@ assessment and modesty " not present in many other autobiographies . Patricia Elam of New Crisis agreed , stating that there is much to admire both about the book and about the " large life " , full of tension , laughter , and love , it describes . Elam also called Song " a spirit @-@ moving work that describes Angelou 's journey through an authentic and artistic life " . 
