@2@@18@'In the first decade of the twentiety century, it was not a good time to be born black, or woman, in America.' @19@@16@@18@@19@@16@So begins this stunning portrait of Vivian Baxter Johnson: the first black woman officer in the Merchant Marines, purveyor of a gambling business and rooming house, and mother to one of our most cherished literary treasures.@3@@2@Anyone who's read the classic, @18@I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings@19@, knows Maya Angelou was raised by her paternal grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. In @18@Mom @95@ Me @95@ Mom@19@, Angelou details what brought her mother to send her away and unearths the well of emotions Angelou experienced long afterward as a result. While Angelou's six autobiographies tell of her out in the world, influencing and learning from statesmen and cultural icons, @18@Mom @95@@19@ @18@Me @95@ Mom @19@shares the intimate, emotional story about her own family.@3@