Module 5: Monster

Book summary: Steve Harmon does not know how he got here. As he sits in the courtroom, watching events transpire that are beyond his control, he imagines this scene through the lens of his camera. The courtroom plays out like a movie while Steve’s diary entries are interspersed throughout, providing insight to this nightmare. Although the trial only lasted for two weeks, Steve (and the reader) embark on an all-consuming journey regarding personal choices, guilt and innocence, and the justice system.

APA Reference of book: Myers, W.D. (1999). Monster. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Impressions: This book struck me with its character portrayals and relevancy, despite being published nearly twenty years earlier. The unique format in which it was written was very influential in my reading it in only a few days; it was very difficult to put down. The movie script held the reader at a distance, allowing them to experience the story without becoming closely invested in the characters. The reader essentially became another juror as Myers left Steve’s involvement (or lack of) in the robbery/murder entirely up to the reader to decide. Monster is a book that crosses many boundaries and is well-regarded, as seen by the numerous award stickers on the cover.

Professional Review: “In a riveting novel from Myers (At Her Majesty’s Request, 1999, etc.), a teenager who dreams of being a filmmaker writes the story of his trial for felony murder in the form of a movie script, with journal entries after each day’s action. Steve is accused of being an accomplice in the robbery and murder of a drug store owner. As he goes through his trial, returning each night to a prison where most nights he can hear other inmates being beaten and raped, he reviews the events leading to this point in his life. Although Steve is eventually acquitted, Myers leaves it up to readers to decide for themselves on his protagonist’s guilt or innocence. The format of this taut and moving drama forcefully regulates the pacing; breathless, edge-of-the-seat courtroom scenes written entirely in dialogue alternate with thoughtful, introspective journal entries that offer a sense of Steve’s terror and confusion, and that deftly demonstrate Myers’s point: the road from innocence to trouble is comprised of small, almost invisible steps, each involving an experience in which a “positive moral decision” was not made. (Fiction. 12-14).”

Reference

[Review of the book Monster, by W.D. Myers]. (1999 May 31). Kirkus. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/walter-dean-myers/monster-myers/.

Library Uses: This book would be used for multiple book displays: Black History Month to promote winners of the Coretta Scott King awards, Teen Read Week to promote the Michael L. Printz award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, Banned Books Week for the content, and a “Current Events” themed display to show how although this book was written almost twenty years ago, the themes and events contained within are relevant in today’s world.