Maya Angelou

Though her life as a child and teenager was dark and difficult, Maya

Angelou emerged to become a world-renowned writer as well as a

poet, dancer, singer, songwriter, film director, and activist.

*

Maya Angelou has a straightforward philosophy of life: “If you don’t like something,
change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”
You can see the results of that thinking in the remarkable path of her life, which has taken
her from a childhood of abuse and broken homes, through teenage years marked by
prostitution and crime, to her current life as one of the most respected writers in the
world.
Maya Angelou was almost lost for good during the early, dark times of her life. She was
sexually abused by her mother’s boyfriend at age eight and although she had the courage
to speak out, her attacker served only one day in jail. He was later found murdered, and
Maya suspected her own family had killed the man. The young girl blamed the power of
her voice for ending a life, and refused to speak for nearly five years!
This and other tragedies left Angelou a frightened and bitter young woman. She might
have sunk into a desperate life of crime for good if it were not for one person - a teacher
who introduced her to great books.
Angelou devoured Shakespeare, Dickens, and other classic authors’ works, and
discovered a love of language and ideas. It renewed her faith in herself and the world, and
set her on the path to making the most of her life. She determined to improve the world