why did walter dean myers investigate his family history

Born to a black mother and father, Myers was adopted at a very young age by his father's first wife and her second husband. He adored his adoptive parents; his mother, Florence, was part German and part Native American, and his father, a black man named Herbert Dean. The memoir spans the first seventeen years of Myers' life, beginning on a childhood spent growing up in a mixed race, middle class family. An avid reader, Myers was surprisingly falling behind in school and acting out from frustration. He also had a speech impediment that was like a red rag to a bull in attracting bullies.