... , Missouri on April 4, 1928. She was raised mostly by her grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. Her childhood experiences, which included rape at eight years old and a period of muteness, inspired her famous work, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", which was written in 1970. She is best known for her autobiographical books: All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986), The Heart of ... I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), which was nominated for the National Book Award. In her massive volumes of poetry are A Brave and Startling Truth (1995), The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou (...

• Word Count: 548
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate