Bookverdict.com

Gr 7-Up This superb memoir begins simply with an account of Myers's family history and his boyhood. Vivid detail makes the Harlem of the 40s come alive, from the music and children's games to the everyday struggle for survival. As Myers grows older, however, his story also grows in complexity. Soon readers are caught up in his turbulent adolescence and his slow, painful development as a writer. Even while performing poorly in school, the teen endlessly devoured great works of literature, often in secret. He also wrote, som...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

While the facts of the young Walter Dean Myers's life might make it seem a tale of hoodlum-turned-writer, the more pertinent truth evidenced by this autobiography is that the writer was there all along—and the hoodlum's fists only struck out to protect him. Myers is honest about his juvenile delinquency and lackadaisical attitude toward sch...Log In or Sign Up to Read More