Maud Martha is a 1953 novel written by Pulitzer Prize winning African American poet Gwendolyn Brooks. Structured as a series of thirty-four vignettes, it follows the titular character Maud Martha a young Black girl growing up in late 1920's Chicago. The novel follows Maud from childhood to adulthood through experiences in lower, middle- and upper-class settings in Chicago. Elements of African American culture and themes of race, class and gender are explored throughout the novel.