In a memoir both comical and bittersweet, the beloved author offers an unforgettable portrait of a young boy growing up in Harlem, struggling to understand the limitations of class and race in American society before the civil rights movement. In a series of memorable, vividly detailed episodes, Myers describes knocking out a fellow second grader who teased him, making deliveries for drug dealers as a teen, and trying to find a way out of his dead-end life by enlisting in the army.

Finally, after years of frustration, failure, and false starts, he follows the advice of a beloved teacher: "Whatever you do, don't stop writing," which leads him to become one of America's most celebrated authors.

Myers is a living testament to the power of books and reading to transform lives.