Myers, W. (1999). Monster. NY: Harper Collins Publishing. ISBN: 0060280778.
Plot Summary: Sixteen-year old Steve Harmon is charged with being a lookout for a robbery conducted at a Harlem drugstore. The owner was shot and killed, and now Steve is in prison awaiting trial for murder. From inside prison, he is constantly terrified by incidents of inmate brutality and threats. He ponders his court case and his incarceration in the format of a movie script. As an amateur filmmaker, he recounts his experiences and how his life has changed dramatically by this event. His attorney is trying her best to make him sympathetic to a jury, but his case teeters on the brink of conviction or release, as readers feel a mixture of empathy and revulsion by his character. Steve has to search deep within his soul to prove to himself that he is not the "monster" the prosecutor presents to the jury. By the end, he is able to reconnect with his own sense of humanity and to regain a sense of morality that he thought he had lost.
Critical Evaluation: This book is filled with ambiguity from the start and continues until the very end. Readers will at times think Steve is guilty and at other times, be convinced of his good natured innocence, depending on whether we read his innermost fearful thoughts or believe the persuasive testimonies presented by both side of legal counsel. It’s fast-paced and interesting to read from the viewpoint of movie scenes and the book’s images and graphics add another level of filmic portrayal. Most poignant is the insider’s look into prison life and how a convict’s family is affected when one of them stands trial for murder. By the end, Steve’s life is irrevocably changed and even his relation with his father is forever altered. He says, “He moved away, and the distance between us seemed to grow bigger. I understand the distance. My father is no longer sure of who I am.” It’s very telling that he continues to create self-portraits of himself on film as he must delve deeper and deeper into his own character during this ordeal. This book is a thought-provoking story for teens and raises interesting questions about the nature of crime and our judicial system.
Reader’s Annotation: Steve is sixteen years old and on trial for murder. Did he serve as a lookout in a robbery where the owner was killed? Or was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time? As an aspiring filmmaker, he turns his gripping story into a film that explores the tension in the courtroom and reveals the terror of prison life. Is Steve an innocent victim or the “monster” who contributed to a senseless murder? You be the judge.
Information About the Author: Walter Dean Myers is considered a pioneer of young adult fiction. His novels about urban teens facing the gritty reality of poverty, violence and fear have won him both a devoted readership and dozens of book awards. Born in 1937 in West Virginia, his mother died during his early childhood and he was adopted by family friends. They moved to Harlem in New York, where he cultivated a habit of writing poetry and stories as a way to overcome a speech impediment. After serving in the Army and working for government agencies, he devoted his time to writing and earned his degree from Empire State College. He has written over 80 books and currently lives in New York with his wife. One of his four children, Christopher Myers, created illustrations for this book. Monster has received many awards, including the Coretta Scott King Honor and ALA Best Books for Young Adults.
Genre:
Teen Issues: Crime and Criminals
Contemporary Life: Coming of Age
Mystery and Suspense: Suspense
Multicultural Fiction: African Americans
Alternative Formats: Diaries and Journals, Mixed Formats
Curriculum Ties: English class, Ethnic Studies class, Psychology class, Book Clubs, Recommended Books for Reluctant Readers, Social Studies class, Filmmaking class, Humanities class
Booktalking Ideas:
1.) The U.S. prison system and judicial system
2.) Crime and Youth: What causes it, what to do about it, what it means to young people
3.) Self-image: How it can change with circumstances and following an ordeal
4.) The effectiveness/non-effectiveness of telling this story in filmic format
5.) Would this novel be different if the protagonist was white instead of black?
Reading Level/Interest Age: Grades 9-12
Challenge Issues/Defenses:
Potential Challenges:
• Portrayal of violence and rape
• Depiction of teens in prison
• Adult language
• Content includes the topic of crime
• Questions of appropriateness for age group
Defense Strategy:
• Provide our Collection Development Policy (which includes Young Adult scope): http://ww2.cityofpasadena.net/library/collection.asp
• Refer to awards earned by this book, including recipient of the first Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Dean_Myers
• Refer to biography of author as a respected, award-winning pioneer of genre:
http://www.walterdeanmyers.net/reviews.html
http://www.notablebiographies.com/news/Li-Ou/Myers-Walter-Dean.html
• Refer to book reviews by actual readers of all ages:
http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Walter-Dean-Myers/dp/0064407314
• If needed, provide a website link to statistics about the reality of teen crime:
http://parentingteens.about.com/cs/familylife/a/statistics.htm
http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/news/statistics.asp
Why This Book Was Included: This book was recommended by a YA librarian and I thought it would be useful to read a few books by established YA authors, including Walter Dean Myers, Lois Lowry, M.E. Kerr and Robert Cormier. I’m always looking for books to recommend to male teens, as they seem to disdain YA books popular among teen females and ask for novels with male protagonists they can relate to. This one is thought-provoking, suspenseful, fast-paced and ambivalent, which is a good mix to captivate teen readers.
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