"No Gumption" is a chapter in the memoir Growing Up by Russell Baker. He writes about how he was considered to not have "gumption" by his mother and others; he preferred to read comic books and such instead of working or doing chores. He does start selling the Saturday Evening Post as a newsboy, but at the end of the chapter, his life has changed: he decides he will be a writer when he grows up. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a 1969 autobiography about the early years of American writer and poet Maya Angelou. And is the first in the seven-volume series. It is a coming-of-age story that illustrates how Love and Strength can overcome racism and