Who Was Maya Angelou?

Born in Missouri in 1928, Maya Angelou had a difficult childhood. Jim Crow laws segregated blacks and whites in the South. Her family life was unstable at times. But much like her poem, "Still I Rise," Angelou was able to lift herself out of her situation and flourish. She moved to California and became the first black--and first female--streetcar operator before following her interest in dance. She became a professional performer in her twenties and toured the U.S. and Europe as an opera star and calypso dancer. But Angelou's writing became her defining talent. Her poems and books, including I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, brought her international acclaim.

• | Author: Ellen Labrecque
• | Publisher: Penguin Workshop
• | Publication Date: January 12, 2016
• | Number of Pages: 112 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Paperback
• | ISBN-10: 0448488531
• | ISBN-13: 9780448488530