Walter Dean Myers
An interesting man works behind the scenes of several books that address social justice issues




Walter Dean Myers is the author of several award winning books.  He has been writing for a majority of his life.  After reading his memoir, it is very apparent that Walter Dean Myers' life has an influence on a lot of his pieces.  He would not be who he is today without the experiences he had growing up.

Walter grew up with adoptive parents in Harlem.  He experienced a lot of issues regarding race, class, education, violence, crime, depression, and war.  His mother passed and he ended up being adopted, which explains his two last names.  While growing up in Harlem, Walter had a horrible situation in the schooling system.  He was often getting in trouble and was not treated well by teachers.  He also had a speech impediment, which was another hurdle Walter had to jump in his adolescent years.  He was continuously getting poor grades and had a negative relationship with school.  

As Walter grew older, that did not change.  He did however, have a teacher that knew he was smarter than what his grades were showing and she pushed him.  Another teacher also told Walter that no matter what happens, he should not stop writing.  That stayed with him as he grew older.  

Eventually Walter joined the army as a way to get out of school.  He went down the day he turned 17 and technically his birth mother was dead, so he did not need permission to join.  He scored the highest the recruiter had ever seen on the entrance exam and was quickly on his way.  When he came back, he found himself doing jobs here and there, but never feeling fully satisfied.  That is when he remember what one of his teachers told him, "No matter what, don't stop writing." 


http://www.walterdeanmyers.net



Walter Dean Myer and his writing process