Book Review: Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Monster

by Walter Dean Myers

Book Summary:
Steve Harmon is an African American teenager accused of having a hand in a robbery that results in the death of a store owner.  If found guilty of contributing to the crime, Steve could face the death penalty or at the least 20 years in prison.  Steve keeps a journal of his experiences in the courtroom and prison, describing everything that is going on in his life and writing it as though it were a movie script.  Steve’s story bounces back and forth from his current experiences to flashbacks of important scenes related to the crime.

Reactions to the Book:
What a wonderful book! The style of the book is very unique in the fact that some of it is written as though it were a movie.  This style of writing adds a new way of developing a mental picture of the events by having cues such as CU (Close Up) for the reader to add to their imagery of the story.  The story line is great, the way the book is written is unique and creative, and the issues are interesting.  Readers are going to be attracted to the unique way that the book is written.  They are going to be interested in the topic of the book and the way that the book develops.  The story does a great job of depicting life in a prison cell along with the court scene and what all goes through a murder case.  This is a must read for all teens.  It provides an excellent example of creative writing and provides something for everyone to positively take away.
Appeal of Book Cover Art:
The title alone is very appealing.  The title and the picture of the young black male on the cover make for a very appealing cover, and one in which the reader will want to pick up in order to find out exactly why this young man is being called a monster.  This cover hits on a few different stereotypes in today’s world that will immediately make the teen audience say “OHHH!!! I want to read that one…it looks controversial!”.
Awards/Honors/Nominations:
2000 Michael L. Printz Award Winner
2000 Coretta Scott King Honor
1999 Nominated National Book Award for Young Adult Literature