Monster by Walter Dean Myers

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Bibliographic Information:

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

ISBN: 978-0064407311

1999 HarperCollins New York, NY

Plot Summary:

Steve Harmon was arrested in connection with a robbery that ended in the death of the owner of the drugstore. He was caught because some of the young men who participated in the robbery were caught selling cigarettes from the drugstore. The men ratted Steve out as an accomplice, who was responsible for acting as a lookout while they robbed the store.

Steve maintains his innocence to his attorney, but she does not instill a lot of hope in him. He feels like she thinks he is a monster. In jail, Steve writes a screenplay about his experience in court. He writes the stage directions, as if it is being really filmed.

Steve writes of the testimony from the other young men who make it sound like Steve was actively involved in the scheme. As the story goes on, Steve feels like he can see in the eyes of the people around him that they are not sure they believe in his innocence. 

The end of the screenplay resolves Steve's feelings by saying that no matter the outcome, people will still see him as guilty.

Critical Evaluation:

The book is published to look like it is the work of a teenage boy. The beginning of the script is handwritten in a young man’s scrawl. After that, the screenplay is typed with stage directions and dialogue.

The tone of the dialogue is authentic to what a teen boy would experience and observe in a jail and court situation. It is this authenticity that garnered Myers so many awards.

The changes in font and the screenplay structure can be distracting from the story, as you pause in the conversation to read the stage directions. I found that a detractor in reading, but it adds to the authenticity of viewing this as something that a teen boy wrote while he was in jail awaiting trial.

Myers did not use much slang in this book, except when the characters from the neighborhood were testifying in court. These characters would believably maintain slang usage, no matter the setting.

Steve’s dialog and writing imply that he is well educated. Perhaps Steve has an opportunity to escape his bad neighborhood, if he can only overcome the charges brought against him. The implication I felt is that his lack of using slang terms means that he is supposed to be one of the good kids, while the kids who speak in slang are clearly the bad ones.

The editorial choices make Steve’s innocence apparent to the reading audience, even while the characters in his play doubt him.

Reader’s Annotation:

Steve Harmon copes with his incarceration and trial by writing a screenplay of his experience.

Author Information:

Walter Dean Myers won the Council on Interracial Books for Children contest in 1969, which resulted in the publication of his first book, Where Does the Day Go? Since then, he has won more awards than any author for young adults, and is one of the most prolific writers, with more than 110 books to his credit.

He is the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults. He has won the Coretta Scott King Award five times and received two Newbery Honors. His book,Monster, was the first winner of the Michael L. Printz Award, a National Book Award Finalist, and a New York Times Bestseller. He delivered the 2009 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture, a distinction reserved for an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of children’s literature. Most recently, he served as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, a post appointed by the Library of Congress.

You can read more about Walter Dean Myers here.

retrieved from http://walterdeanmyers.net/about/ on 8/5/2015

Genre(s):

Realistic Fiction

Curriculum Ties:

Screenwriting

Booktalk Ideas:

Book talks centering around juvenile crimes and punishment.

Reading level: grade 7+

Interest age: 12+

Challenge Issues: This book may be challenged for its violence and portrayal of minorities.

Challenge Defense File

Why I chose this book:

This book was awarded the National Book Award, the Printz Honor, and the Coretta Scott King Award. It is a fantastic addition to our collection as it is resoundingly praised.