I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is Maya Angelou's autobiography of her childhood. Although I still don't know why the caged bird sings, I do know why this book is required reading for so many schools and on the list of 1001 Books to Read Before You Die. Maya Angelou has beaten the odds. She is African American, grew up from a broken family, never had a stable homelife, was molested and yet she never stopped believing in her ability to achieve greatness. And as a writer, she is great. She is a wonderful inspiration for all of us - students and adults. The audiobook is powerfully narrated by the author.