Module 5: Monster

Summary:
This story tells the tale of Steve Harmon, a sixteen year old from Harlem, who ends up going on trial for participation in a robbery and murder. King, an acquaintance from the neighborhood, asks Harmon to scope the convenience store and give them a signal that the coast is clear. Harmon fulfills his end of the bargain, but later on in court claims he is not guilty. The book, written in a script style, shows the action of the trial as it's happening and the jury finds Harmon not guilty at the end.

Citation:
Myers, W.D. (1999). Monster. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.

My Impressions of the book:
This book was an interesting read, but not one that I would recommend to anyone younger than high school age. There are many adult themes running through the story such as murder, robbery, drugs, sex, and prision violence. It would take a special mature reader to deal with some of the issues and understand what is happening at the trial. I liked the style of the book, written as if it were a script for a movie. Different fonts were used to distinguish between Steve was writing in his journal and when he was writing his script. Some photographs are incorporated into the pages giving it a sense of being true to life. Throughout the story I was rooting for Steve, but was on edge in anticipation of the ending.

Reviews:
Carton, D. (1999, May 1). [Review of Monster]. The Booklist, Vol. 95, No. 17.
Gr. 9-12. Myers combines an innovative format, complex moral issues, and an intriguingly sympathetic but flawed protagonist in this cautionary tale of a 16-year-old on trial for felony murder. Steve Harmon is accused of acting as lookout for a robbery that left a victim dead; if convicted, Steve could serve 25 years to life. Although it is clear that Steve did participate in the robbery, his level of involvement is questionable, leaving protagonist and reader to grapple with the question of his guilt. An amateur filmmaker, Steve tells his story in a combination of film script and journal. The "handwritten" font of the journal entries effectively uses boldface and different sizes of type to emphasize particular passages. The film script contains minimal jargon, explaining camera angles (CU, POV, etc.) when each term first appears. Myers' son Christopher provides the black-and-white photos, often cropped and digitally altered, that complement the text. Script and journal together create a fascinating portrait of a terrified young man wrestling with his conscience. The tense drama of the courtroom scenes will enthrall readers, but it is the thorny moral questions raised in Steve's journal that will endure in readers' memories. Although descriptions of the robbery and prison life are realistic and not overly graphic, the subject matter is more appropriate for high-school-age than younger readers.

Use in a library setting:
I would either set up the book on display for black history month or Printz prize winners or use it in a book club with mature readers.