Wayne Dyer (1940-2015) was an internationally renowned author and speaker in the field of self-development. He was born in Detroit, Michigan and spent much of his childhood in orphanages and foster care after his alcoholic father abandoned the family of three boys. Dyer was first in his family to go to university and taught for a while at St. John's University in New York. His lectures were popular and he was approached to document his theories. Hence his first book, Your Erroneous Zones (1976), which hit the best seller lists. Dyer quit his academic career to write psychology books for the self-help market, later incorporating spirituality into his thinking as well. He published more than 30 books for adults, and 6 books for children.