Summary:
This book chronicles the life of Maya Angelou, a famous African-American writer. She was born Marguerite Annie Johnson in 1928. She and her brother spent most of their childhood being raised by their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. She grew up in the segregated South during the Jim Crow era. Her family was poor, but had enough to get by. Maya and her brother briefly went to live with their mother in St. Louis, but when Maya was sexually molested by a family friend, her mother sent the children back to live with her grandmother. Because of this trauma, Maya did not speak for over a year, until her grandmother's neighbor convinced her to start reading books aloud. Maya enjoyed Southern culture, and the community she found in her weekly church visits. Racism shaped her life and her ambitions as well. She felt determined to make something of herself. Before she turned thirteen, her grandmother decided the children needed to live with their mother again, who lived in California at the time. World War II began shortly after their move, and Maya noticed the racism directed towards Asian-Americans during the time. When her brother left home and got a job, 15-year old Maya decided to get a job as well. Her perseverance led to her becoming the first African-American conductorette on the San Francisco streetcar. As World War II ended, Maya earned her high school diploma. Shortly after graduating, she became pregnant with her son. She became a mother at seventeen, and although her mother supported her, she felt she needed to work to provide a life for her and her child. She worked many jobs to support her little family. With her love of music, she found a job at a record store, where she met a man named Tosh Angelos, who she later married. She was happy for a time, before realizing that the life of a housewife and mother were unsatisfying. She got divorced, and decided to try becoming an entertainer. This is when she began going by the name Maya Angelou. She was cast in a musical, and began touring Europe while her son stayed with her mother. Soon, she realized she missed her son and didn't want him growing up without a mother so she returned to the United States and decided to pursue her love of writing. She and her son moved to New York City. During this time, the Civil Rights movement has begun, and she got involved in the activism. She met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1969, she published her famous book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, that detailed her childhood. She also wrote many poetry books. She married an African freedom fighter, and she and her son moved to Africa to be with him and support him. She was incredibly happy to be in the land her ancestors were from, and she felt a sense of pride and satisfaction in being immersed in African culture. However, she still felt too restless for the role of a wife, and craved her independence. She divorced, and moved with her son back to the U.S. She was offered a lifetime position as professor at a university in North Carolina. She was happy to be back in the South. President Bill Clinton reached out to Maya to write and present a poem at his inauguration celebration.

Personal Reaction: Great read about a great woman. I love reading about resilient, ambitious women throughout history.

Classroom Extensions:
1. Have students write their own poem that they'd like to read to/for Americans.
2. Read some of Maya Angelou's writing (whatever is most age-appropriate for students)
3. Learn about African culture, discuss why African culture was just as important to Maya as her southern American culture. ( )