Monster

Myers, W. (1999). Monster. New York City, NY: HarperCollins Publisher

Steve Harmon is 16 years old, an African-American, and on trial for felony murder.  Set in Queens, New York, Steve is in jail awaiting trial for a crime he did not commit.  But was he an accomplice?  An aspiring film writer, Steve shares his story in a movie script format, with hand written diary entries (that are a different color than the rest of the novel), and gives readers a play by play of the courtroom scenes.  Steve feels he is innocent of these accusations.  The prosecuting attorney has a different view and describes Steve Harmon as a “monster”, accusing him of being responsible of giving the shooters the “all clear” to enter the drug store.  Steve is terrified of living the next 20 years in prison and describes how much he longs to be home, away from this place.  Readers slowly learn the details of the crime through character witness’s testimonies and Steve’s journal entries.  Just when readers believe things are not looking positive for Steve, his film teacher approaches the stand and testifies to Steve’s character.  Readers are able to make their own decisions about what actually happened that day, with the author leaving room for interpretation and imagination.  The jury concludes Steve is innocent.  He is left with wondering what people really see in him.  His own attorney would not hug him after the trial, his father moves away, creating more distance between them, and he is not sure what he sees in the mirror anymore.  I was captivated by the suspense of this novel.  The courtroom scenes draws readers in, anxious to gain more information about the details of the crime.  The author gives readers enough information to make your own conclusions and does not leave you frustrated with too many holes in the story.  I can’t help but draw attention to the prejudice this story brings to light.  Realistic mug shots and security camera screen shots add to the suspense of how real this story is.  Steve is judged from others and appears to be a “monster”.  I find myself cheering for this film teacher, which took time to notice Steve and was able to humanize him by testifying to his character.  What would students do without teachers making connections?  Readers can learn more about this novel and author at this site:  http://walterdeanmyers.net/

Readers will learn of other works and even a graphic novel of “Monster”.