Monster

Myers, Walter Dean. Monster. New York, New York: Harper Colins Publishers, 1999. 281 pages.

Monster is about a sixteen year old African American boy named Steve Harmon as he is tried for felony murder, facing the death penalty or 25 years to life if he is convicted. He was allegedly the lookout at a convenience store before James King, also on trial with him, and Bobo, who testifies against them to reduce his own sentence, went in to rob the store owner, Mr. Nesbitt. In the tussle that ensued, Mr. Nesbitt was fatally shot. The book alternates between chapters written as a diary and a screenplay, which helps with the story's deep character development and emotionally-charged reading. The story contains flashbacks to Harmon's experience in film class in school and his life growing up in Harlem, as well as descriptions of life inside prison, his visits and relationships with his family members, and the proceedings of the court case. The story does end by stating whether Harmon has been found guilty or not, but the reader never finds out from Harmon's thoughts (in diary format) and screenplay whether he was involved in the crime.

While the vocabulary in the book is very simple, the format of this story would be appealing to students, and it would be engaging to have students act out different scenes throughout the book or write responses that mirror its style. The themes, including peer pressure, and race and the judicial system, would be interesting and complex topics to have discussions about as Monster is read. However, the sometimes graphic nature (with Harmon describing the sounds of sexual assault and beatings in the prison), and the overall themes make it more likely to be used in a classroom as an independent reading book. I would probably have it in my library in 7th and 8th grade, but I would be wary of having 6th graders read it.