Walter Dean Myers Biography

Walter Dean Myers was a pioneer in the field of American children's literature. He has more than a hundred books—short stories, novels and non-fiction alike—in his repertoire as an author. Several of them contain pictures that have been painted by great artists like Leo Carty, Gene Riarti as well as Martin and Alice Provensen. Some of the later books have been illustrated by his youngest son, Christopher. Having been orphaned and then adopted as a child, Myers had difficulties coping with his life, despite having loving foster parents. He displayed many behavioural issues stemming from a sense of inferiority, and had soon developed a stammering problem. This however reduced with the encouragement of an otherwise stern teacher in school. He also sought refuge in writing, which later became his passion and career. This exceptionally creative author, before dabbling in a few dissatisfying odd jobs, gave us masterpieces like 'Monster', 'Motown and Didi', 'Scorpions', 'Autobiography of My Dead Brother', and even the controversial 'Fallen Angels'. He was elected as the ambassador by the 'Library of Congress' for 'Young People's Literature'. Even now, Myers is an inspiration for those who try to muster up courage so they can follow their dreams, just like he did