Bad Boy
A Memoir
HarperCollins · Print & ebook · May 12, 2020
A classic memoir that's gripping, funny, and ultimately unforgettable from the bestselling former National Ambassador of Books for Young People.
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- Who it’s for
- A candid memoir finds humor and tension in a boy’s changing hopes and love of books.
- Themes
- Growing up in Harlem, Reading as comfort, Aspiring to be a writer
- Genres
- African American U.S. History for Teens, Biographies, Boys & Men
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Start with this bookAbout this book
A classic memoir that's gripping, funny, and ultimately unforgettable from the bestselling former National Ambassador of Books for Young People. A strong choice for summer reading—an engaging and powerful autobiographical exploration of growing up a so-called "bad boy" in Harlem in the 1940s. As a boy, Myers was quick-tempered and physically strong, always ready for a fight.
Continue reading
He also read voraciously—he would check out books from the library and carry them home, hidden in brown paper bags in order to avoid other boys' teasing. He aspired to be a writer (and he eventually succeeded). But as his hope for a successful future diminished, the values he had been taught at home, in school, and in his community seemed worthless, and he turned to the streets and to his books for comfort. Don’t miss this memoir by New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers, one of the most important voices of our time.
Books and Becoming
A candid memoir finds humor and tension in a boy’s changing hopes and love of books.
Come here for
- A young writer’s ambition, told with humor and candor
- The pull between home, school, streets, and books
Expect
- A personal look at growing up in 1940s Harlem
- Reflection on hope as familiar values lose their hold
Where it sits
| Boys & Men | 51% |
|---|---|
| African American U.S. History for Teens | 45% |
| Biographies | 42% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- YA Stories About Boys & Men
- 20th-Century US YA
- Lives in History
- Writers' Lives
Show all 8 publisher categories
- Political Lives
- Activist Biographies
- Women's Lives
- Boys & Men
- Authors
- Walter Dean Myers
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- May 12, 2020
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Growing up in Harlem · Reading as comfort · Aspiring to be a writer
- Reading lane
- YA Stories About Boys & Men