Part 2, 'Yesterday I saw him watch my sister.' Survivors of Sexual Abuse by Relatives: Lynn Swenson, from My Half-Sleep; and Maya Angelou, from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Summary and Analysis

Lynn Swenson grew up with her divorced mother who was often abusive toward Lynn and her sisters. As an adult, Lynn wrote a series of poems called My Half-Sleep that chronicled time spent on a farm with her grandparents as an eleven year old girl. In the excerpt provided in this book, Lynn wrote about her grandfather coming to her room at night and sexually assaulting her, then later watching her sister undress before a fan.

Maya Angelou wrote four autobiographical...