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Monster Walter Dean Myers Books

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Monster Walter Dean Myers Books

Sixteen-year-old Steve is on trial for felony murder following a robbery and shooting. He's accused of being the look out guy, which can carry a life sentence. He imagines his trial like a film script, as he nervously stands trial.

Walter Dean Myers used Steve's script as part of the story, which allows Steve to see himself as an observer as well as what he knows is true. Readers don't know if the allegations are true or false, although his white lawyer seems to think he's guilty. Steve isn't like the three others involved in the robbery/murder. He's thoughtful and creative with dreams beyond his Harlem neighborhood. He does seem to lack insight, if he's guilty of being the lookout.

Myers superbly gives readers messages, with subtlety. Where lesser writers tell, he shows through nuance. He makes me think and feel. In one of the most poignant lines in MONSTER, Steven muses that his younger brother can't visit him in the adult prison, and if he was not an inmate, he too would be unable to visit. That one sentence spoke volumes to me about the juvenile justice system and made my heart ache. Another strong moment was Steve's lawyer's reaction to the verdict.

MONSTER is an important story not just about justice, but also about race and judging young black men on stereotypes rather than as individuals.


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Monster Walter Dean Myers Books Reviews

I feel that this book has a very good message. I think that this book is trying to tell to that you 1 should not partake in committing a crime, and 2 how awful jail is, but also I think its trying to say if you do make a mistake learn from it and don't do it again. I like the fact that it is written in the form of a movie script. I have to be honest the title of the book did not very a pilling to me when I first saw it but now I see that it is a very good book. If I had to rate it I would give it a 4 out of 5. I think that it a little bit to shoot and I also think that it needed more about his life before and after he was in jail. I feel that Steve is not the monster that they said he was, and they show that many time thought out the book. The definition of a monster is "An imaginary creature that is typically large, ugly, and/or frightening", and I believe that Steve is neither ugly nor frightening. I think that one of the reasons that the book was written in the form of a movie script is to show that he does have normal emotions and normal thoughts like everyone else. Which is important because when most people look at the cover of this book they see Steve as a Monster, but if you read the book you know that he's not a monster. Overall I say this book was very good it had an important message that I think we all need to learn.
Monster is the story of 16 year old Steve Harmon. A Harlem teen who finds himself on trial for felony murder due to his alleged participation in a botched robbery of a local pharmacy. Monster is so titled because during his trial, that is what the prosecutor refers to him as while addressing the jury in her opening arguments. This label haunts him and makes him question his identity and his place in society. Monster deals with some very profound issues regarding racism and the structure of our justice system. It also tackles the line between the legal definition of “innocence” and the moral/true definition of it.

For me, the appeal of this book lies with how the question of Steve’s innocence or guilt is intentionally ambiguous. Like the jurors, the reader has to weigh the evidence and decide whether Steve is innocent or guilty and if he is guilty, of what exactly? (The book does not go into as much detail about this, but it is set in NYC in the 90’s when Rudy Giuliani was the mayor known for being tough on crime. “Acting in Concert” clauses in the penal code meant that you didn’t necessarily have to be the one who pulled the trigger to be charged with murder.)

The book has a very unique and interesting writing style. The story is told from Steve’s point of view but the narration switches back and forth between a screenplay format and diary entries. It also switches between the courtroom, jail and flashbacks to Steve's childhood. The screenplay format can be distracting at first and takes some getting used to, but it actually is quite effective in conveying imagery and as his trial ensues, it adds to the the drama. Some parts of his trial are riveting and read like an episode of Law and Order and his diary entries from jail are very sobering. The awards and accolades that this book has received are well-deserved. This is not your typical "overrated/overhyped" urban fiction novel.
In the opening of Monster by Walter Dean Myers, sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon is on trial for his alleged participation in a murder committed during the commission of a robbery. The prosecution accuses Steve of acting as the look out to the crime which left a local business owner dead. Suddenly, Steve goes from being an average high school student to a teenager facing charges on a capital offense. On top of all his fears about the verdict, Steve must attempt to endure the prison in which he is being held during the trial. In order to cope with his unbearable situation, Steve begins to write a journal.
A budding filmmaker, much of his journal is written in the form of a screenplay. In addition to documenting the trial, Steve includes flashbacks relating the events in the weeks leading up to his arrest. Through his writing, Steve attempts to negotiate his own identity with the perception of public, which has labeled him a ‘monster’.
Recipient of the Michael L. Printz Award, Monster was also recognized as a Coretta Scott King Award Honor Book and National Book Award Finalist. This is undoubtedly due to Myers’ ability to capture the complex character and feelings of Steve and reveal the flaws in a criminal justice system which relies on the dehumanization of the accused. Monster will leave readers wondering the impact of a single decision and questioning what it really means to be a good person in the real world.

Reviewed by Grayce Jones
Sixteen-year-old Steve is on trial for felony murder following a robbery and shooting. He's accused of being the look out guy, which can carry a life sentence. He imagines his trial like a film script, as he nervously stands trial.

Walter Dean Myers used Steve's script as part of the story, which allows Steve to see himself as an observer as well as what he knows is true. Readers don't know if the allegations are true or false, although his white lawyer seems to think he's guilty. Steve isn't like the three others involved in the robbery/murder. He's thoughtful and creative with dreams beyond his Harlem neighborhood. He does seem to lack insight, if he's guilty of being the lookout.

Myers superbly gives readers messages, with subtlety. Where lesser writers tell, he shows through nuance. He makes me think and feel. In one of the most poignant lines in MONSTER, Steven muses that his younger brother can't visit him in the adult prison, and if he was not an inmate, he too would be unable to visit. That one sentence spoke volumes to me about the juvenile justice system and made my heart ache. Another strong moment was Steve's lawyer's reaction to the verdict.

MONSTER is an important story not just about justice, but also about race and judging young black men on stereotypes rather than as individuals.