Center for Teaching & Learning

The main character of Monster, sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon, is convicted in a murder and robbery case.  This novel is about his trials and court appearances, with a few flashbacks to before the whole mess started.  It takes the form of a movie script that Steve writes.   At the end of each chapter, Myers inserts a journal entry from Steve.  These are some of the most important parts of the book.  They describe Steve’s thoughts and feelings, so the reader can get inside his head. The whole story is really sensory, and the dialogue is really realistic.
Monster is a pretty fast read. The 281 pages seem a lot fewer because once a reader gets into it, he or she doesn’t want to stop.  You’ll want to to find out what happens to Steve in the end.
One theme of the book is that all teenagers will lose their innocence.  Another is about the violence and crime in America, how it’s bad for our society, and how it needs to be stopped.
I don’t think I can compare Myers to any other writer because he is unique.  Most of his books are set in Harlem, or have references to Harlem, because that’s where he grew up, so there’s a truer, more realistic sense about everything he writes.  And his sports novels about basketball are way more than just stories about how a team makes it to the championship;  he creates a life for his characters on and off the court.  Other books by Myers that I’ve also loved are Shooter, Fallen Angels, Autobiography of My Dead Brother, Game, Slam, Hoops, and its sequel The Outside Shot.
Moving back to Monster, the conclusion is very satisfying, and I think all readers will agree with what happens to Steve.  Overall I rated this book a 10 out of 10.  It was fascinating and original.   If you haven’t checked it out yet, I think you should definitely try it. You’ll get hooked on Walter Dean Myers’ writing, and that’s a good thing.
Cody
Publisher:  Amistad, 281 pages