Sherman Alexie is an American Indian writer He writes poetry short stories and novels Alexie shares his experience as an American Indian His work has helped people of all ages including children understand American Indian life Alexie was born in 1966 He is a member of the Spokane Coeur d’Alene tribe He grew up on a reservation in Washington He learned about American Indian poetry at college He decided to give writing poems a try He published his first book in 1992 The Business of Fancydancing Stories and Poems earned praise from readers His next work arrived in 1993 The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven is a collection of short stories The stories have modern American Indian characters They describe what it is like to live as an American Indian in the United States The collection won the Pen Hemingway Award The award is an important writing prize Alexie accepts the National Book Award in 2007 SHERMAN ALEXIE WRITES ABOUT BEING AN AMERICAN INDIAN 1 4
THINK ABOUT IT Why would authors write about their experiences How might people benefit from reading about others How can reading about various groups change the world Then Alexie borrowed from his life to write a novel in 2007 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a young-adult novel It describes a teen’s life on a reservation The novel won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature in 2007 Alexie’s work has attracted a variety of readers He gives readers all over the world a look into modern American Indian life 12 Number of poetry collections Alexie has authored Alexie grew up on a reservation in Washington and wrote about his experiences He has given readers a valuable look into modern American Indian life His work has earned several prizes for excellent writing Students at the Wellpint Elementary and High School on the Spokane Indian Reservation where Alexie grew up 5
Angelou wrote about her experiences as an African American girl in the South Maya Angelou was an author and poet She wrote her first autobiography in 1969 It is called I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings The book was popular with a wide range of readers Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in 1928 She changed her name during a brief career as a singer She spent part of her childhood in the American South In the South Angelou experienced racism She decided to write about her experiences in 1969 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings revealed her difficult childhood through age 16 The book sold more than 1 million copies Readers learned what it was like to grow up as an African American in the South Angelou wrote six other memoirs She also wrote essays The essays in Letter to My Daughter were intended for female readers In the book Angelou shared her experiences and poetry She wrote MAYA ANGELOU SHARES HER LIFE STORY 2 6
her last book Mom and Me and Mom in 2013 It is a collection of essays They share Angelou’s thoughts on her relationship with her mother Angelou’s writing helped people understand what life was like for African Americans in the mid twentieth century Americans and others across the world read her books She has been recognized by several world leaders In 1993 Angelou read one of her poems at the swearing-in of President Bill Clinton She was the first woman to have that honor She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2011 Maya Angelou died in 2014 at age 86 Her writing continues to tell her story to millions of readers THINK ABOUT IT Maya Angelou wrote about her own personal experiences Those experiences help readers understand US history through the eyes of people who lived it Why is it valuable to learn history through personal stories 2 Number of years I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings appeared on the New York Times Paperback Nonfiction Bestseller list Angelou wrote poems autobiographies and essays about her life as an African American in the United States Her writing attracted readers worldwide She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her writing Angelou’s books continue to be popular with readers of all ages 7
