I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a 1969 autobiography about the early years of American writer and poet Maya Angelou. The first in a seven - volume series, it is a coming - of - age story that illustrates how strength of character and a love of literature can help overcome racism and trauma. The book begins when three - year - old Maya and her older brother are sent to Stamps, Arkansas, to live with their grandmother and ends when Maya becomes a mother at the age of 16. In the course of Caged Bird, Maya transforms from a victim of racism with an inferiority complex into a self - possessed, dignified young woman capable of responding to prejudice.
when was i know why the cage bird sings written
1969