A hero is someone who overcome obstacles and inspires others. Often people think of heroes as sports stars or world leaders, but Maya Angelou is a hero.
In Maya’s book, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Maya is the main character. In fact, this is an autobiography of her life. In the book she goes through many hard times and has tough choices to make. The town she is from is in Arkansas, and it is a very racially divided town. Her grandmother is also raising her. One thing that Angelou loves to do is read. She meets a woman who shows her how to read, and well!
She is a hero because she survived being a victim. Angelou was treated poorly because of her race; she was raped by a relative, abandoned by her mother, and becomes a mother herself.