How Did Walter Dean Myer's Life Influence His Writing?

Taylor Runge

Mrs. Blomme

English 11

10 December 2014

Tough Love from Myers

Walter Dean Myers is a well known children’s author with an interesting life story. There have been some arguments over his writing because everyone has a different opinion of his stories because they look at it with different thoughts. Walter Dean Myers is known to be a harsh children’s writer but to him he is just showing them how life in the real world works.

Myers was born to Mary and George Walters with the name Walter Milton Myers on August 12, 1937. When Walter was two his mother died and his father put him in the foster system. Florence and Herbert Dean ended up his foster parents and they raised him in Harlem, New York. When Walter turned 18 he changed his name to Walter Dean Myers so honor both sets of parents. As a child his life consisted of reading and religion, he said, “the church guided me through the rough paths i went through in my life.” Although he loved to read, he didn’t do very well in school besides writing, he also got into multiple fights because other children would make fun of his speech impediment. He ended up dropping out of high school and going into the army when he was seventeen.(“About Walter Dean Myers”) Some may say that his childhood didn’t have anything to do with his writing but it had a big influence on his writing later on.

Walter didn’t know his birth parents very well because he was only two when they died but he was very close to Florence.

Florence read to him every night when Walter was younger, this is where Walter got his love for reading. (“About Walter Dean Myers”) Herbert always made sure that Walter was taken care of and had the things he desperately needed growing up but besides that he and Walter weren’t very close. He was too embarrassed to be around Walter because Herbert himself couldn't read or write so he separated himself. (“A Father’s Open Book”) In a way this could discourage a child but in Walter’s mind this was another

inspiration.
Walter wasn’t always surrounded by nice, happy people, he saw a lot of things that could scar a lot of children. He lived during segregation so he wasn’t treated as an equal. (“1940’s Timeline”) Growing up he lived in harlem which was a little more accepting to blacks than other places. There was a few Blacks in Harlem that were higher up in the world. (“Harlem 1900-1940”) Of course Walter’s family was very poor so he lived in the bad side of town. This side of town was filled with violence whether it be from gangs or drugs or both put together. (“Walter Dean Myers Biography”) He stayed out of everything by sticking to his religion and his books but he still saw a lot. (“About Walter Dean Myers”) Not only did the violence steal his happy childhood but his family started to fall apart after his uncle was murdered. The family turned to alcoholism to comfort their sorrow and nothing was the same after. (“Walter Dean Myers”) His life wasn't as easy as it could have been but he turned all of his negative thoughts or emotions into amazing writing. It shows in both “Big Joe’s Funeral” and “Monkeyman.” In “Big Joe’s Funeral,” the story’s point was that one can still have a positive memory for every negative even if it seems impossible. Big Joe took one of the saddest parts of life and turned it into a party, this may seem disrespectful but in the end he made people in his town smile and gave them a positive memory that they would never forget. In “Monkeyman” the antagonist was a gang called, The Tigros, they were extremely dangerous and nobody wanted to mess with them. Monkeyman saved one of his friends from getting killed by The Tigros so they wanted to kill Monkeyman, instead of backing down he was the bigger person and didn’t fight at all. He just let them beat on him but once they realized that he wasn't fighting back, it wasn’t fun anymore. This could be a reenactment of a memory of Walter’s. It was what he lived around, he just stayed out of everything so he wasn’t really in danger. This story shows how Walter uses his childhood as an idea box for his writing.
Almost all of Walter’s stories are about a child that’s heading down a wrong path whether it be with drugs or bad people or both but a sudden epiphany about their life straightens their thoughts on life itself. A lot of his writing even includes death or near death experiences. (“Walter Dean Myers”) He has multiple books and many children enjoy them but some adults disagree with the point or the actions in the stories. They say his stories are too violent or harsh but Walter doesn't see his stories like that.
Walter grew up in the harsh areas of Harlem with no money and no father to guide him. He didn't have a father to warn him about what was going on or explain how to handle everything around him, he had to figure that out on his own. Due to the lack of fatherly guidance growing up, Walter decided to write stories that would guide children or show them what to do when they are in bad situations. His writing shows all of the negative things that go on in life, it explains how life isnt always perfect and happy. Some children are unaware of all of the things that can happen and Walter thought he needed to let them know. (“Walter Dean Myers Biography”) His stories also show that anyone can make a positive out of a negative no matter what situation one is in. In the end all of his stories show children all aspects in life, both positive and negative.
Some say that Myers is harsh but in his eyes hes just using his writing to replace the hurt that he had because he didn't have a father to guide him. Although his stories are brutally honest, children still seem to enjoy them and he still gets his point across. He kills two birds with one stone, he gets his emotion out and may have helped a few children along the way. He died July 1, 2014 (“About Walter Dean Myers”), and his legend will go on for years.

Works Cited
“!940’s Timeline.” About Education. about, n.d. Web. 5 Dec. 2014. .
“About Walter Dean Myers.” Walter Dean Myers. Cohn Design Works, n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. .
“A Father’s Open Book.” NYC. City of New York, n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2014. .
“Harlem 1900-1940.” Exhibitions. New York Public Library, 2012. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. .
“Walter Dean Myers.” Goodreads. goodreads, n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. .
“Walter Dean Myers Biography.” Notable biographies. Advameg, n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. .