Letter+Essay

September 7, 2010 Dear Student Readers, I recently read //Monster// by Walter Dean Myers. It is written in a multi-genre style, meaning that it uses many different formats to deliver the story. The protagonist, Steve Harmon, is accused of being involved in a murder. He is on trial for his life after allegedly being the lookout in a botched robbery in which the store clerk is murdered with his own weapon—a gun he kept under the counter to protect himself. Steve tells us about his trial and the circumstances surrounding it in a diary, a screenplay he writes, and court transcripts. These are the only formats in which the story is told, except for pictures that are sporadically placed in the book. Pictures can help with visualizing the situation or characters, which helps to make them seem a little more real. This is what initially attracted me to the book. I love books that experiment with different techniques, and use multiple genres to tell a story. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. After finishing the book, I did a little background research on the author. Myers was adopted and raised in Harlem. He says that his teen years were the hardest for him, and that’s why he writes about adolescence. He is an important African-American author, and has received many awards for his thought-provoking work. These awards include the Coretta Scott King Award, which honors African American authors who have written for a young adult audience about the African American experience, and the Margaret A. Edwards Award, which honors authors of young adult literature who are bringing up important identity questions that teens need to contemplate. In //Monster//, the readers get a little more information than the jury does. We see into Steve’s head in the diary entries he writes. They show us a part of Steve that the jury never witnesses—the emotions and thoughts Steve has while going through the trial. Steve is not the only teenage boy on trial. A boy named James King is suspected of actually pulling the trigger, and the jury will ultimately decide the fate of both James and Steve. There are several people involved in the botched robbery, and they all have a motive for lying on the stand. Osvaldo and Bobo are acquaintances of Steve’s that have been offered deals by the police for testifying. It’s up to the reader to determine who is really telling the truth. Kathy O’Brien, Steve’s lawyer, never really seems like she believes Steve’s version of the events surrounding the murder. Steve even has a hard time remembering where he was. All these different factors mixed together make it a difficult trial for Steve, and it keeps the reader turning the pages to find out what happens. This book touches on important themes dealing with our criminal justice system and the equality that is promised, but not necessarily practiced. Here is a quote from Steve’s lawyer that addresses a problem that they are facing:  Well, frankly, nothing is happening that speaks to your being innocent. Half of those jurors, no matter what they said when we questioned them when we picked the jury, believed you were guilty the moment they laid eyes on you. You’re young, you’re Black, and you’re on trial. What else do they need to know? (Myers 78) This quote puts a dim outlook on Steve’s trial. It also shines a light on some serious flaws in the criminal justice system he trusts will find him innocent. At the end of the book we find out what the jury thinks about Steve’s involvement, but the reader is left to make up their own mind based on the evidence. This is a fast paced read in an interesting format. I rate this book 8 out of 10 and it is good for readers in 7th grade and up. Myers is now one of my favorite authors, and I have one of his other works, //Sunrise Over Fallujah//, sitting on my desk. I’m hoping to get to it during the holiday break. Your friend in reading, Ms. Farrell

P.S. Attached you will find student/peer reviews.