Walter Dean Myers (August 12, 1937 – July 1, 2014) was an American author, best known for his books about African-American youth. Myers was born Martinsburg, West Virginia, when he was two years old, his mother died in childbirth giving birth to his younger sister. Due to his already large family, Myers's father then gave him over to his first wife and her husband, who lived in Harlem, New York. During his childhood, he found refuge in his neighborhood and church which protected him, and developed his interest in writing. He was frustrated by the lack of books for children of color, after reading Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin, he started writing about his own experiences growing up.
Myers has written over 1000 stories and books within Children's Literature, Middle Grade Literature, and Young Adult Literature and is known as one of the most prolific children's book authors. He passed away on July 1, 2014 after a brief illness.
Books written by Myers with their own pages:
Notable books by Myers
- Invasion
- The Crusiers series
- Darius & Twig
- Kick
- Slam!
- Scorpions
- Lockdown
- Dope Sick
- Sunrise Over Fallujah
- Fallen Angels
- Malcolm X: By Any Necessary Means (biography)
- Somewhere in the Darkness
- Fast Sam, Cool Clyde, and Stuff
- Motown and Didi: A Love Story
- Crystal
- We Were Heroes: The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins, a World War II Soldier, Normandy, France, 1944 (part of the My Name Is America series)
- Autobiography of My Dead Brother
