This paper discusses Maya Angelou's novel "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." The paper sees the novel as a major triumph for the art of the autobiography, as well as a deeply honest account of growing. The autobiography delights in the dignity of the human spirit, the courage of standing up against the odds, but also in the intense and deeply troubling difficulties of growing up as an African American in Arkansas. 5 pgs. Bibliography lists 5 sources.