This memoir traces Maya Angelou's childhood in a small, rural community during the 1930s. Filled with images and recollections that point to the dignity and courage of black men and women, Angelou paints a sometimes disquieting, but always affecting picture of the people--and the times--that touched her life.

"Martin illuminates the sacrifice, discipline, and originality that made him an icon and informs his work to this day. To be this good, to perform so frequently, was isolating and lonely. It took Martin decades to reconnect with his parents and sister, and he tells that story with great tenderness. Martin also paints a portrait of his times?the era of free love and protests against the war in Vietnam, the heady irreverence of The Smothers Brothers...

Presents the life of the comic actress, discussing her childhood, marriage to and divorce from Desi Arnaz, and her career on the successful television hit series "I Love Lucy."

Introduces the life of the American West hero, discussing his contributions to the Pony Express, the Battle of Little Big Horn, and Native American rights.

"In this dual biography, McMurtry explores the lives, the legends, and above all the truth about two larger-than-life American figures. With his Wild West show, Buffalo Bill Cody helped invent the image of the West that still exists today--cowboys and Indians, rodeo, rough rides, sheriffs and outlaws, trick shooting, Stetsons, and buck-skin. His most celebrated prote?ge?e, the short, slight Annie Oakley--born Phoebe Ann Moses in Ohio--spent sixteen...