This book provides an informal biography of the wunderkind who became one of America's greatest living artists and most well-known architects.

Many are familiar with the art and architectural design work of Maya Lin, but the compelling details of her personal background are less well known. This book not only focuses upon Lin's substantial achievements throughout her life, but also presents Maya Lin's "prehistory," describing family events in China that led to her parents' flight to the United States.

Author Donald Langmead guides readers through Lin's ancestry and family connections in precommunist China; her childhood and youth in Athens, Ohio; the story behind the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC; her career after 1982 (by decades); and emphasis on environmental conservation. Written for a young adult and general readership, Maya Lin: A Biography provides an up-to-date description of how she became one of the most famous and respected artists in America.

DONALD LANGMEAD is an adjunct professor at Louis Laybourne Smith School of Design, University of South Australia. Now retired, his primary training is as an architect, although he has spent most of his professional life in academia. He holds postgraduate qualifications in city planning, and the history of architecture. Langmead has published nine books in the field (four as joint author) in Australia and the USA, as well as many articles in Australian and overseas journals.