"Monster" by Walter Dean Myers

Summary of Monster by Walter Dean Myers
This is the story of an accused 16 year old African American Steve Harmon who is on trial for felony murder.  A drug store is held up and a man is killed in the process.  In order to keep his mind off the trial, he takes down everything that transpires as if it's a movie. Presented in a movie script format, bits and pieces of what transpired is given to the reader little by little.  There are two obvious bad guys, but Steve is lumped in with the crime as the lookout.  While it starts out as looking bad for Steve, by the end of the story you realize the criminals might be using him as a way to get less time in prison.  You are still unsure if he participated or not, and so is he. It's not until the very end of the book that you hear the verdict.

Myers, W.D. (1999).  Monster.  New York, NY:  Harper Collins Children's Books.

Personal Impression of Monster by Myers
The format presentation is very different.  By putting this story in a movie script form, the story can be given in bite-size pieces with flashbacks to the scene of the crime and other instances prior to the robbery.  In the beginning of the story, it appears that he very well may be part of the crime.  Even then, some sympathy can be given to Steve as he seems to be a teenager just trying to be tough but getting in way over his head with some bad guys.  It's not until the end of the story that you realize that the criminals hardly know him, and could be using him as a way to get less time. Steve's personal testimony, his teacher's character witness, and the evidence that no one, outside of the criminal's testimony, identified him at the scene of the crime was enough for the jury to acquit him. However, the reader is still left to wonder if he might be guilty.  Even Steve himself isn't really sure. I really think the movie format worked for this book, and gave a level of suspense by only offering up small pieces of the story. His personal feelings interspersed within the text gives one the understanding of how fearful it is to be accused of a crime with the possibility of spending years in prison. Even more disturbing is how easy it is for associations to turn into more sinister things, either by being in the wrong place at the wrong time or hanging out with the wrong people.  Maybe the author wanted to convey the suggestion that you need to watch who you surround yourself with because people will assume you are just like them.

Reviews of Monster by Myers
"Sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon has been charged as an adult accomplice to murder. Steve resorts to his passion for filmmaking to put some order to and make some sense of his ordeal; his trial is presented as a movie. The reader feels his panic over the possibility of spending life in prison and his fears of being beaten and sexually abused there. The attorneys present their cases before the jury and the drama builds just as it would in a movie. Steve feels the surrealism of the stark reality he is facing. The reader is drawn into the trial, trying to determine, as is Steve himself, if he is the Monster that the prosecutor says he is, or a victim of circumstance. The film script concept works well on many levels. The illustrations, intermittently placed, present Steve in various ways: photos with his mother, on the drugstore surveillance camera, in a courtroom drawing, and in his mug shots. They give an added sense of reality to the narrative. This is a powerful, intense, thought-provoking story. It is great for discussions about the judicial system, pre-judging, self-perception, parent-child relationships and our prison system."
Review by Children's Literature and Retrieved from Barnes & Noble.

"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."
Review by Kirkus and Retrieved from Barnes & Noble.

Suggestions for Use in a Library or School
This is a great way to talk about many social issues.  Ask students to write an essay on how they would feel if they were accused of a crime they didn't commit.  Here are some other essay questions or discussion questions.  Why do you think Steve was afraid of going to prison?  What could he have done differently to avoid the entire situation?  Do you think he is guilty?  Do you think his lawyer did a good job? Do you think his lawyer thought he was innocent?  Why or Why not?  Do you think a lookout for a crime is as guilty as those who commit the crime?  What does this story tell you about relationships (friends, acquaintances, parent/child, teacher/student, lawyer/client)? Can criminals be trusted to testify truthfully against other criminals in order to get less time?  Is this a fair practice that the law should allow?