Monster

"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?" - Monster Pg. 79

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to a local library book sale. I went very early on the first day of the sale and was delighted to see such a large treasure of Young Adult books awaiting me! Within the mass of books I found several "boy books" I had been wanting to read including a book called Monster by Walter Dean Myers. I had heard good things about Monster in a previous class and was excited to finally read it.

Written in the form of a movie script, Monster tells the story of Steve Harmon, a black teenager has been accused of murder. The book covers his trial and his time spent in jail. Although the jury comes to a final conclusion at the end of the book, the audience is left unsure of Steve's guilt even once they have finished reading.

I would have to lay that of all the books I have read so far this semester for my reading goal, Monster is my favorite. It describes a very real situation and it deals with very real issues such as racism and prejudice. I think that many boys, especially boys that have similar backgrounds to Steve's character's background, would relate to Monster. Not only would I recommend this book to individual students, but I would also not hesitate to use it as a literature circle book or a whole class book. Monster is suspenseful and engaging and I think it would interest boys and girls alike.