All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes was published by Random House in 1986. The fifth autobiography covers 1962-1965: Angelou’s years in Accra, Ghana, where she worked as a journalist and teacher alongside a community of African-American expatriates (including W.E.B. Du Bois, Julian Mayfield, and other prominent Black intellectuals) who had come to Africa seeking the homeland that slavery had stolen.
The book explores the complex emotions of the “return” to Africa: the initial joy of being among Black people in a Black-governed nation, followed by the gradual recognition that centuries of separation have created unbridgeable differences. Angelou is African-American, not African — the Ghanaians recognize her as a stranger, and she recognizes herself as one. The discovery is painful but liberating: Angelou comes to understand that her identity is not located in any single place but in the journey itself.
The volume is the most reflective of Angelou’s autobiographies — less eventful than the earlier volumes, more meditative, more concerned with inner states than external adventures. The writing is mature and measured: Angelou is in her mid-thirties and beginning to understand herself with the clarity that will eventually produce the first autobiography.
Collecting All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes
First edition (Random House, New York, 1986): Cloth with dust jacket.
Market values:
- First edition, fine/fine: $25–$60
- Very good: $10–$25
- Signed: $75–$150
Projected values (2026–2036): Modest appreciation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fifth autobiography about? All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986) recounts Angelou’s years in Ghana (1962–65), where she was part of a community of African American expatriates that included W.E.B. Du Bois, Julian Mayfield, and other Black intellectuals who had come to Africa seeking a sense of belonging. The memoir explores the complex emotions of an African American encountering Africa directly — the desire to belong, the recognition of difference, and the eventual realization that America is home.