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.
| ISBN: | 9780448488530 |
| Publication date: | 14th January 2016 |
| Author: | Ellen Labrecque |
| Publisher: | Penguin Workshop an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 112 pages |
| Series: | Who Was? |
| Genres: |
Children’s / Teenage general interest: Biography and autobiography Children’s / Teenage general interest: Girls and women Children’s / Teenage general interest: Literature, books and writers Children’s / Teenage: General interest |