Walter Dean Myers was born on August 12, 1937, and after his mother died during his infancy, he was raised by family friends in Harlem, New York. In his third year of high school, Myers realized that he would not be able to attend college for financial reasons. He proceeded to join the army at the age of seventeen. After returning to civilian life and to Harlem, Myers began writing books for young adults. He created the novel Fallen Angels as a tribute to his younger brother, who was killed in the Vietnam War. The novel's descriptions of the interactions among soldiers and the long periods of inactivity they experience are based on its author's own military background.
The Vietnam War. American concern over Vietnam began in the 1940s, when the French colonial powers, who had held the Southeast Asian land since the nineteenth century, began to experience resistance from Viet Minh revolutionaries. Led by Ho Chi Minh, the Viet Minh was a coalition of nationalists and communists united against the French. Elections in 1946 brought Ho Chi Minh a landslide victory over conservative opponents in northern Vietnam.
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