I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Wow, there was so much about Maya Angelou that I didn't know! She is an amazing woman and lived such a crazy life. I really don't know how she managed to deal with all she did but I suppose she didn't have much choice in the matter.

Born Marguerite Johnson, she and her brother Bailey were sent to live with their grandmother when their parents split up. At 3 and 4 years old, they were sent unaccompanied on a train from Long Beach, California to Stamps, Arkansas. Their tickets were pinned inside her brothers jacket with a note that said, “To whom it may concern...” Their grandmother was the only black woman in the small town to own her own store and she took them in and made sure they were fed and clothed. After several years in Stamps their father came for them and took them to live with their mother. Life there was much different and and had its own challenges. Life was only just beginning for Maya and it wasn't going to be an easy road. After many trials and tribulations she learned to stand tall, own her actions, and just be herself.