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Walter Dean Myers (born Walter Myers August 12, 1937, Martinsburg, West Virginia, raised in Harlem) is an African American author of young adult literature. Myers has written dozens of books, including novels and non-fiction works. He has won the Coretta Scott King Award for African American authors four times. One of these books, Fallen Angels, has made the American Library Association's list of frequently challenged books, due to rough language and its depiction of the Vietnam War. is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...
Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Martinsburg is a city located in Berkeley County, West Virginia. ...
For other uses, see Harlem (disambiguation). ...
An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ...
Young adult (YA) literature is literature written for, published for, or marketed to adolescents. ...
This article is about the literary concept. ...
For the book by Chuck Palahniuk titled Non-fiction, see Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories. ...
The Coretta Scott King Award is an anual award presented by the American Library Association. ...
Fallen Angels is a novel that was written by Walter Dean Myers about a group of young Americans in the Vietnam War during the Tet Offensive in 1968. ...
ALA Logo The American Library Association (ALA) is a group based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. ...
Many societies have banned certain books. ...
Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000...
Early life
His mother died when he was only three years old. He was raised as a foster child by the Dean family, so he took their last name as part of his own. The Dean family took him to Harlem, where he grew to be an avid reader. Though he had a happy childhood, Myers understood that his foster family would not be able to send him to college, so he dropped out of Stuyvesant high school and joined the Army instead . After being discharged, Myers took some courses at the City College of the City University of New York by working in a series of jobs and went to Empire State College. He married his wife Joyce in 1960 and had two children before the family dissolved in divorce. The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ...
The City University of New York (CUNY; acronym: IPA pronunciation: ), is the public university system of New York City. ...
For the record label, see Divorce Records. ...
Writing Life After dropping out of high school, Myers joined the Army. (this experience helped inform the writing of 1989's Fallen Angels, one his most controversial and enduring books.) Upon being discharged from the Army, Myers returned to New York where he worked loading trucks and in the post office while writing at night. Eventually, he entered and won a 1969 contest sponsored by the Council on Interracial Books for Children, which led to his first book for children, Where Does The Day Go? being published. His career begin in earnest, however, when he began writing books for young adults.
In 1975, Myers published Fast Sam, Cool Clyde and Stuff, which was one of the first novels in the burgeoning genre known as "young adult literature." More so, it was one of the first books to deal with African-American characters in an urban setting. Myers would continue to write young adult fiction throughout his career, helping shape the genre as a whole.
Myers has also published numerous volumes of poetry and a vast array of non-fiction works dealing with the African-American experience through out history. Exploring everything from the accomplishments of Muhammad Ali to the struggle for freedom in Haiti, Myers brought to his non-fiction work the same attention to detail and rich language that characterizes his novels.
He continues to publish and receive honors, such as the 2006 title Jazz, which was an 2007 ALA Children's Notable Book and was illustrated by his son, Christopher Myers.
Awards & Honors Myers is the 1994 recipent of the ALA's Margaret A. Edwards Award for "lifetime contribution to young adult literature." (The titles cited for the Edwards Award were Hoops, Motown and Didi, Fallen Angels, and Scorpions.) Myers is a two-time Newbery Honor award winner for: Scorpions (1988) and Somewhere in the Darkness (1992). He is a five-time recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award for: The Young Landlords (1980), Motown and Didi: A Love Story (1985), Fallen Angels (1989), Now is Your Time: the African American Struggle for Freedom (1992), and Slam! (1997). Myers is also a two-time National Book Award Finalist for: Monster (1999) and Autobiography of My Dead Brother (2005). Among its many honors, Monster (1999)was the first-ever recipient of the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature. The Newbery Honor is a citation given by the Association for Library Service to Children of the American Library Association (ALA). ...
The Coretta Scott King Award is an anual award presented by the American Library Association. ...
The National Book Awards is one of the most preeminent literary prizes in the United States. ...
Monster is a young adult drama novel by American author Walter Dean Myers and was published by Harpercollins in 1999. ...
The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. ...
Main body of work Myers has produced young adult literature ever since, as well as essays, A Place Called Heartbreak: A Story of Vietnam, At Her Majesty's Request: An African Princess in Victorian England and the biography Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary. Three of his best known novels are Fallen Angels (1988), The Glory Field (1994), and Monster (1999). Fallen Angels is a novel that was written by Walter Dean Myers about a group of young Americans in the Vietnam War during the Tet Offensive in 1968. ...
The Glory Field is a book based on the different generations of the Lewis family. ...
Monster is a young adult drama novel by American author Walter Dean Myers and was published by Harpercollins in 1999. ...
Other Noted Works It should be noted that most of Myers' works are based on his old neighborhood in Harlem, New York. He deals with the struggling urban teen, often depicting gang life, drug use, violence, and dealing with peers and peer pressure when one has found a way out. Myers generally writes about what he knows and has experienced.
Hoops (1983) - A promising basketball player tries not to end up like his former pro playing coach. The Outside Shot (1986) - A Harlem talent goes to college for basketball. Fast Sam, Cool Clyde, and Stuff (1988) Crystal (1987) Won't Know 'Til I Get There (1988) The Young Landlords (1989) - A group of kids take over an apartment building and the struggles to keep it up. Scorpions (1990) - a 12 year old is asked to lead his brother's gang The Righteous Revenge of Artemis Bonner (1994) - a 12 year old boy goes after a man that murdered his uncle. Slam (1998) - Young black teen with an attitude problem deals with life on and off the basketball court. 145th Street: Short Stories (2001) Greatest: Muhammad Ali (2001) Bad Boy; A Memoir (2002) - a part of the Amistad Series, it is Myers life stories as a young boy growing up in 1940's Harlem. Handbook for Boys: A Novel (2003) It Ain't All for Nothin (2003) Somewhere in the Darkness (2003) Shooter (2005) - A school shooting leaves two friends of the shooter documenting what they know to the police. Beast (2005) Street Love (2006) Autobiography of My Dead Brother
Referred to in other works Myers is mentioned in Sharon Creech's 2001 poetic novella Love That Dog, in which a young boy admires Myers and invites the poet to visit his class. This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ...
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