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Walter Dean Myers

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Author

The Resume

    (August 12, 1937-July 1, 2014)
    Born in Martinsburg, West Virginia
    Birth name was Walter Milton Myers
    Author of 'Fallen Angels' (1988)
    Other books include ‘Hoops’ (1983), ‘Motown and Didi’ (1985), ‘Crystal’ (1987), ‘Scorpions’ (1988) and ‘Monster’ (1999), 'Autobiography of My Dead Brother' (2005) and 'Lockdown' (2010)

Why he might be annoying:

    He dropped out of high school on his 17th birthday to join the Army (only to get discharged three years later).
    ‘Fallen Angels’ received criticism for explicit adult language, sexual content, and for its graphic depiction of the Vietnam War.
    He said: ‘We’re suggesting that [kids are] missing something if they don’t read but actually, we’re condemning kids to a lesser life. If you had a sick patient, you would not try to entice them to take their medicine. You would tell them, Take this or you’re going to die. We need to tell kids flat out: reading is not optional.’
    His last written work was an article for the New York Times titled ‘Where Are the People of Color in Children's Books?’

Why he might not be annoying:

    He cited James Baldwin as an influence.
    He was raised in Harlem and had a tough childhood.
    He is a six-time recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award.
    He wrote more than one hundred books and sold over 15 million copies.
    He was the third U.S. National Ambassador for Young People's Literature.
    He sat on the Board of Advisors of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.
    His son Christopher became a painter and would illustrate for his father’s later books.
    Twenty years after ‘Fallen Angels,’ he wrote a sequel following a young U.S. soldier's experience during the 2003 invasion of Iraq (‘Sunrise Over Fallujah’).

Credit: BoyWithTheGreenHair


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Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying