rebecca2023's review against another edition
4.0
Read for a course. Read immediately after Jerry Spinelli's memoir. Spinelli described himself as a "good boy" with a great deal of appreciation for the troublemakers who made life interesting. Myers was a bit of a troublemaker! While Spinelli was valedictorian and had perfect attendance as a youngster, Myers was truant and barely passed his classes, although he was identified as gifted. It was really interesting to read the memoirs of these two fantastic young adult authors back to back. It has increased my appreciation for both, and brings up many, many questions about what it means to be white and privileged vs. poor and black in America.
anslow's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
4.0
kristinjones28's review against another edition
4.0
This a powerful memoir that follows Walter Dean Myers’ youth his struggles with identity. He talks a lot about understanding the press to discover his identities with maleness and a career, but struggling to understand how he felt about being Black in addition to his other identities. This is a book I will feature on my classroom shelves for sure.
vtlism's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
A real pleasure, a bit lightweight (appropriate for teens imo). He shows such compassion for his younger self by showing his childhood point of view. This is yet another book showing someone who wasn't great at school but was hugely talented and successful. It's also cool bc you see him as a youth coming across Langston Hughes on the street and Billie Holliday in a club. Classic.
leilah_grace's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
maryanne19's review against another edition
3.0
Book with a great message but sometimes gets a little too lofty.
hellojay's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
4.0