“From my foster parents, the Deans, I received the love that was ultimately to strengthen me, even when I had forgotten its source. It was my foster mother, a half-Indian, half-German woman, who taught me to read, though she herself was barely literate. I remember her reading to me every day from 'True Romance' magazine.”

American writer

Walter Dean Myers was an American writer best known for young adult literature. Born in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and raised in Harlem, New York City, he became one of the most widely read voices in writing for younger readers. Myers wrote more than one hundred books, including picture books and nonfiction. His work was shaped by a difficult childhood, and teachers encouraged him to use writing as a way to express himself. He won the Coretta Scott King Award five times. His 1988 novel Fallen Angels drew attention for its adult language and its realistic view of the Vietnam War.