?Myers paints a fascinating picture of his childhood growing up in Harlem in the 1940s.?Publishers Weekly?A powerful read. Will make the reader laugh out loud & sigh with satisfaction.?Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)?Many of the individual scenes have power?and the author's voice and heart are consistently heard and felt throughout.?The Horn Book?[A] superb memoir. Young writers will find inspiration here.?School Library Journal?A thoughtful, cautionary and inspiring tale.?Chicago Tribune?This memoir joins the ranks of stellar literary autobiographies, such as Fleischman's Abracadabra Kid and Zindel's Pigman and Me.?Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Many of the individual scenes have power.and the author's voice and heart are consistently heard and felt throughout." -- The Horn Book
"A thoughtful, cautionary and inspiring tale." -- Chicago Tribune
"This memoir joins the ranks of stellar literary autobiographies, such as Fleischman's Abracadabra Kid and Zindel's Pigman and Me."--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"A powerful read. Will make the reader laugh out loud & sigh with satisfaction."--Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
"Many of the individual scenes have power...and the author's voice and heart are consistently heard and felt throughout."--The Horn Book
"Myers paints a fascinating picture of his childhood growing up in Harlem in the 1940s."--Publishers Weekly
"[A] superb memoir. Young writers will find inspiration here."--School Library Journal
"A thoughtful, cautionary and inspiring tale."--Chicago Tribune
[A] superb memoir. Young writers will find inspiration here. --School Library Journal"
Into a memoir that is gripping, funny, heartbreaking, and unforgettable, Walter Dean Myers richly weaves the details of his Harlem childhood in the 1940s and 1950s: a loving home life with his adopted parents, Bible school, street games, and the vitality of his neighborhood. Although Walter spent much of his time either getting into trouble or on the basketball court, secretly he was a voracious reader and an aspiring writer. But as his prospects for a successful future diminished, the values he had been taught at home, in school, and in his community seemed worthless, and he turned to the streets and his books for comfort. Here in his own words is the story of one of the strongest voices in children's and young adult literature today.