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Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry like Christmas is the third book of a seven-volume autobiography series by Maya Angelou (pictured). Set between 1949 and 1955, the book largely spans her twenties. Angelou describes her struggles to support her young son, form relationships, and forge a career in entertainment. Its 1976 publication was the first time an African-American woman had expanded her life story into a third volume. It was described as "a graphic portrait of the adult self in bloom" and "a journey of discovery and rebirth". In the book, Angelou examines many of the same subjects and themes in her previous autobiographies, including travel, music, race, conflict, and motherhood. She depicts the conflict she felt as a single mother, despite her success as a performer as she travels Europe with the musical Porgy and Bess. Her depictions of her travels, which take up 40 percent of the book, have roots in the African-American slave narrative. (This article is part of a featured topic: Maya Angelou autobiographies.)