With I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou shone a light on the hardships of the rural South with vivid prose that captured the very dust of the landscape and the deepest despair of residents victimized by Jim Crow-era oppression. And yet, against this backdrop, she explored the depth of family strength and wisdom—the very essence of her own perseverance and transcendence—through the words of her grandmother (Momma), her brother (Bailey), and her mother (Lady)—all larger-than-life figures whose characters impressed not only the young Maya, but so many of us reading their words on the page.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a remarkable testimony to the resilience of the human spirit. And with its exploration of the power of each individual’s voice, its celebration of our collective strength, and its dynamic portrayal of an extraordinary woman’s life, this seminal work is as relevant to today’s audiences as ever.

The author

Maya Angelou was raised in Stamps, Arkansas. In addition to her bestselling autobiographies, including I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and The Heart of a Woman, she wrote numerous volumes of poetry, among them Phenomenal Woman, And Still I Rise, On the Pulse of Morning, and Mother. Maya Angelou died in 2014.