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Monster

 

(Picture from Goodreads.com)

1.    1.       Bibliography

 

Myers, Walter Dean. 1999. MONSTER. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.
              ISBN 978-0-06-440731-1

2.       Plot Summary

 

What do you do when you are on trial for… murder? This is the situation Steve Harmon finds himself in. An accomplice to a murder, he chooses to escape his reality by writing his court case and experience into a screen play. As an amateur filmmaker, Steve takes his reader into his world through script and journal entries. The final question remains, will Steve be found innocent, or guilty?

 

Steve didn’t pull the trigger; the blame for that belongs to James King. A botched robbery gone wrong, Steve was supposed to be the look out. Or was he? Questions remain as the trail unfolds from Steve’s words. Witnesses emerge, people are put on the stand, and the story unfolds and Steve quietly writes to escape the reality of his situation.

 

3.       Critical Analysis

The biggest draw to Monster, is the format that Myers chooses to use. Going back and forth between screen play and journal entry, Myers tells the story of a young man on trial for accessory to murder. Even though Steve didn’t pull the trigger, the accusation that he was the “look out” keeps the reader guessing about his guilt or innocence. Myers keeps the drama moving with the fast-paced dialogue and heightened sense of foreboding.

 

The use of Steve as the narrator gives the reader an unreliable character. Questions of did he or didn’t he, plague the reader throughout the book. We want to believe Steve is innocent and that he was a good kid at the wrong place at the wrong time. Since Steve is the one giving us the information though, and in a dramatic format, how much is fiction?

 

Ideas and questions of what makes someone a monster vs what make them human arise throughout the book. Are we the worst thing we’ve ever done? Should one wrong move pave the path for the rest of our lives? Or do our mistakes make us better and help us grow? Deep discussions for students can arise from these pages and help them navigate their wrong doings, and hopefully prevent them from making life altering mistakes.  

 

There are images throughout the book with no captions that draw you in. A young man behind bars and blurry images of a black man that could be anyone. These images appear to set the scene and show, this could be you.

 

4.       Awards/ Reviews

-2000 Coretta Scott King Honor Book
-2000 Michael L. Printz Award
-1999 National Book Award Finalist
-Heartland Award for Excellence in YA Lit Finalist
-Tayshas High School Reading List
-Black-Eyed Susan Award Masterlist
-2000 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)
-Hornbook Fanfare 2000, Michael L. Printz Award 2000
-2000 Coretta Scott King Award Author Honor Book
-2000 Quick Picks for Young Adults (Recomm. Books for Reluctant Young Readers)
-2000 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)

"Myers grapples with complex moral questions that will definitely make readers stop and think. -- Booklist, Editors' Choice 1999

 

5.       Connections

 

This book is great for drama lovers. Students who like theatre and movies would enjoy reading this book. The split between journal and screen play makes this a quick read.

 

A Sundance movie entitled “Monster” was released the past few years and is on Netflix. Students might like comparing and contrasting the movie to the book.

 

The book is about tough choices and philosophical discussions emerge. Great for book talks discussion questions could be:

-          Are we our worst mistakes?

-          Does one moment define a person?

-          What is right and what is wrong?

-          Is an accomplice to murder just as guilty?

-          Should teens be given life in prison?

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