Dr. Maya Angelou's incredible life story is celebrated world over on what would have been her 90th birthday, and Wednesday's Google Doodle celebrates it.
Angelou is now recognized as a world famous author, civil rights activist and poet, who published seven autobiographies and several books of poetry, but her early life was traumatic.
At the age of 7 she was sexually abused and raped by her mother's boyfriend.
He was released from jail after a day. Four days later he was murdered, and Angelou became mute for five years. Later Angelou would say, "I thought, my voice killed him; I killed that man, because I told his name."
During this specific period of her life she became engrossed in the written word.
She read Shakespeare, Dickens and Edgar Allen Poe and became interested in black artists like Frances Harper, Anne Spencer and Jessie Fauset.
"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", her best known work, was critical to the development of what many refer to as autobiographical fiction.
Her work focused mostly on issues such as racism and identity.
Sadly she passed away in May 28, 2014, and today would have been her 90th birthday.
