In 1968, Walter Dean Myers challenged himself to enter a children’s book writing contest geared toward Black writers. The two-time high school dropout didn’t know it at the time but that competition would change the course of his life…….. 

Mr. Myers, 74, was named named the national ambassador for young people’s literature.  Myers, five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award and two Newbery Honors, has written more than 100 books, making him an easy pick for Ambassador.  Myers will be the third person to fill this role, a 2-year commitment of promoting reading by speaking publicly in schools and libraries. Created in 2008, the ambassador position is voted on by a committee selected by the Center of the Book in the Library of Congress. Myers will succeed two other Young Adult authors. Myers differs from the previous ambassadors in that his work is more gritty and emotionally involved. Myers himself grew up in Harlem, and showed an interest in reading and poetry in spite of his parents’ illiteracy. Distracted by domestic issues, he dropped out of high school to join the army, but soon “found his way back to writing.” It is the hope of the selection committee that his upbringing and the qualities his novels possess will allow him to relate to young readers.