[3] Herbert Dean was an African-American man and his wife was a German and Native American woman who taught English at the local high school.

This struggle led him to remember the advice given by his high school teacher and he began writing columns for men's magazines.

[11] It wasn't until Myers read the book Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin, which takes place in Harlem and focuses on African American characters, that he was inspired to start writing stories based on his own experiences growing up.

[14] A prolific author, Myers wrote more than a hundred books for children and young adults during his 45-year writing career.

[15] Myers’ writing focused on his hard experiences as a teenager and he worked to show troubled teens that reading is a necessity in life.

[23] The ALA Margaret A. Edwards Award recognizes one writer and a particular body of work for "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature".

Myers won the annual award in 1994, citing four books published from 1983 to 1988: Hoops (1983), Motown and Didi (1985), Fallen Angels (1988), and Scorpions (1988).

The young-adult librarians observed that "these books authentically portray African-American youth, but their appeal is not limited to any particular ethnic group.

"[22] He was a two-time runner-up for the annual Newbery Medal, recognizing the previous year's "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children", in 1989 for The Scorpion and in 1993 for Somewhere in the Darkness.

Myers was the inaugural winner for Monster (HarperCollins, 1999), which was thereby designated the year's "best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit".

[26] Myers was a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 1999 for Monster, in 2005 for Autobiography of My Dead Brother, and in 2010 for Lockdown.