Obituary: Maya Angelou Dies at 86

Article: One of my favorite authors died last week, Maya Angelou. Known for her memoirs, such as "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sing" and most recently, "Mom & Me & Mom," she broke down literary and racial boundaries in her life and work. Once you heard it, you never forgot her deep, resonating voice. (Click here to listen.)

(Parents Only: Angelou had a complex life. I don't know what you want to share with your children. She was raped when she was seven years old by her mother's boyfriend and stopped speaking for years. She got pregnant after her first sexual encounter and gave birth as a single mom at the age of 17. After graduating high school, she moved out with her son and worked as a stripper for a while. These are the parts of her life you may not want to tell your kids about. She also knew over 6 languages, worked as a reporter, was the first black street car conductor in San Francisco, became a famous author, and never felt sorry for herself in hard times. Click here for her biography to choose what you wish to share).

To read a beautiful letter she wrote to her "younger self," click here.

For a great story from when she was a teenager:

"I was the first black person to be on the streetcars of San Francisco, a conductorette. And my mother had asked me, 'What would you like to do this semester? You're ahead of your class, what would you like to do? You have to work.' So I said, 'I'd like to be a streetcar conductor.' She said, 'All right, go get the job.'

“ I told her, 'That's what you were — you were my great protection.'

"[My mother] drove me [to work] as long as I kept the job, which was a few months. And she'd drive right behind the streetcar until daylight. And at daylight, she'd honk her horn and blow me a kiss. [Angelou's mother carried a gun in that car, to protect Angelou.]

"I told her, 'That's what you were — you were my great protection.' She said, 'I was more than that. You were mine, too.'"