Walter Dean Myers

Biography

Walter Dean Myers (1937-2014) grew up in Harlem, the neighborhood he would write about for his entire career. Born Walter Milton Myers in Martinsburg, West Virginia, he was raised by foster parents Herbert and Florence Dean in New York City after his birth mother died. A voracious reader and talented student, Myers struggled with a speech impediment and with the violence and poverty of his surroundings. He dropped out of high school at seventeen and joined the Army. After returning to civilian life, he began writing — eventually producing over 100 books for young readers. He was appointed National Ambassador for Young People's Literature in 2012. Myers wrote Monster because he was haunted by the young men he had known growing up in Harlem who ended up incarcerated — boys who, in slightly different circumstances, might have become writers or filmmakers or teachers.

Walter Dean Myers at a glance