I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

The world adores Maya Angelou's first memoir, a contemporary American classic. The documentary film And Still I Rise, which aired on PBS's American Masters, tells her life story.

This novel is both joyful and terrible, enigmatic and unforgettable, much like childhood itself. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings brilliantly conveys the magic of words that have the power to change the world, the desire of lonely children, and the savage insult of racism. The world adores Maya Angelou's first memoir, a contemporary American classic.

Maya and her brother Bailey experience the pain of being abandoned and the bigotry of the local "powhitetrash" after being sent by their mother to live with their pious, independent grandmother in a tiny Southern town. When Maya is eight years old and back in St. Louis with her mother, she is assaulted by a guy who is much older than her, and the repercussions will follow her for the rest of her life. Years later, in San Francisco, Maya discovers that she may be free rather than incarcerated because of her self-love, the generosity of others, her own strong spirit, and the concepts of great writers (she says, "I met and fell in love with William Shakespeare").

For as long as people read, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings—a poetic and powerful work—will move people's emotions and alter their perspectives.