Best-selling children’s author Walter Dean Myers, who wrote more than 100 books and was nominated three times for the National Book Award, died Tuesday in New York at age 76.
Myers was known for his books “Monster” and “Lockdown,” and was also known for the relatively rare accomplishment of having a strong following among middle-school aged boys.
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Myers also was known for his advocacy of literacy and education. A high school dropout himself, the author was a passionate spokesperson on those issues and served as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, a Library of Congress position. He also was the receipient of five Coretta Scott King awards for African-American fiction.
Quotes from Myers began to appear online in social media as word of his death circulated. NPR tweeted, “I write books for the troubled boy I once was,” and Scholastic added, “When I began to read, I began to exist.”
Myers was tapped as a gifted student as a child, but when he was accepted to a prestigious school he felt out of place and began skipping, then dropped out.
In a 2011 interview, he told The Associated Press, “I know what falling off the cliff means. I know from being considered a very bright kid to being considered like a moron and dropping out of school."
Before finding a place in history through his writing, Myers was in the military, worked in a factory, was a construction worker, and also a Wall Street messenger, the AP said.
News of his death saddened many who spoke out online, including popular children's author Judy Blume.
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