Maya Angelou

Civil Rights leader and Beat poet Maya Angelou has died. She was pretty old. During her lifetime, Maya was raped. She is also credited with discovering the causes behind flight-restricted birds communicating in song. One clear sign of her greatness is how many schools in the U.S. require reading her books. In 1970, Maya was nominated for a National Book Award and appeared on The New York Times bestseller list, along with Michael Crichton’s Andromeda Strain, which was later turned into film. Although available on DVD, a definitive blu-ray edition of Andromeda Strain has yet to be released.