Myers, W.D. (1999). Monster.
New York, NY: Harper Collins.
Summary: Monster is a screenplay written by 16 year old Steve who is on trial for murder. He is on trials for the murder of a Harlem store owner named, Alguinaldo Nesbitt. At the beginning of Steve's trial, his lawyer, Kathy, believes he is innocent. She also believes that he needs to make sure he appears innocent. She thinks that because Steve is African-American that he will face racial prejudice and profiling during the case. While he meets with his lawyer, the prosecution brings about witnesses that will prove that Steve is guilty of the crime. According to the facts of the case, Nesbitt was found dead with a gunshot wound and a worker at the store, Jose, found him dead. According to the presecution, Steve had robbed the store with Bobo Evans and Steve was the "look out". All of this leads to why Steve and Bobo Evans are on trial. The trial starts to gain a lot of news coverage and even is mentioned by Rudy Giuliani. During the trial, Steve is kept in a detention center where he bagins to write in a journal about his experiences. In his journal entries, the reader begins to see a child that is fearful he will be executed and does not show any of the signs of being the monster that the prosecution is portraying him to be. You find out in the journal entries that Steve is interested in writing movies and on the day of the murder, was looking at places to film the scenes to a movie. The two main witnesses against Steve are truly suspect but they seem to be strong witnesses and the case is looking worse and worse for Steve. Finally, when Steve is able to go on the stand to defend himself, he explains how their is no way that he could have ever been a part of this killing. After the jury returns to tell the verdict, they proclaim that Steve is innocent and he is free to go, to the delight of his mother.
Strengths: Monster deals with many social issues that we are still facing today. Students would be very interested in seeing these struggles play out in the book and being able to connect to what they see in real life. Many students will relate to Steve and his journey. Monster tackles the themes of social justice and the unfairness of the justice system. Students will see a true to life account of what it is like to deal with the judicial system.
Book Trailer:
Similar Books:
- Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes
- Miracle's Boys by Jacqueline Woodson
- Mexican White Boy by Matt de la Pena
Other books by Walter Dean Myers:
- Fallen Angels
- Hoops
- Slam
- Shooter
- Scorpions
- Lockdown
LSSL 5385 Requirement Met: Read Monster
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