National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Walter Dean Myers on Why "Reading is Not Optional"
January 07, 2013
For Walter Dean Myers, the platform he established as National Ambassador for Young People's Literature means something personal. In his case, "reading is not optional" because it saved his life. He talked about his life story and how those experiences inspired him to write about history during this season's kickoff event for the 92Y's Children's Reading Series.
Myers dropped out of high school at age 15. Despite that set back, he has established a successful career as a children's books author which includes winning the inaugural Michael L. Printz Award. When asked how he was able to get where he is today, he replied: "I dropped out of high school but I didn't drop out of reading books."