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BONUS FEATURE: Afterword read by the author
Sometimes I feel like I have walked into the middle of a movie. Maybe I can make my own movie. The film will be the story of my life. No, not my life, but of this experience. I’ll call it what the lady who is the prosecutor called me. Monster.
FADE IN: INTERIOR COURT. A guard sits at a desk behind STEVE. KATHY O’BRIEN, STEVE’s lawyer, is all business as she talks to STEVE.
O’BRIEN
Let me make sure you understand what’s going on. Both you and this King character are on trial for felony murder. Felony murder is as serious as it gets….When you’re in court, you sit there and pay attention. You let the jury know that you think the case is as serious as they do….
STEVE
You think we’re going to win?
O’BRIEN (seriously)
It probably depends on what you mean by “win.”
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Technical Details
- ISBN13: 9780739355565- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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By Ingrid Cyros
Monster, by Walter Dean Myers, is an incredibly captivating novel about a 16 year old boy, Steve Harmon, from Harlem on trial for murder. This story is written in both first person, with journal entries from Steve's point of view, and in third person limited with a factual movie script written by Steve as well. As the plot unfolds, the reader is left to make assumptions as to how the trial be concluded.
Myers incorporates many of the elements which are vital to a great story. These include plot, characterization, pacing, setting, dialogue, and points of view. His writing is strong as his story is entrancing and moves extremely fast, yet sometimes his exchange between points of view can be confusing. As the story is for the most part written in a movie script form, the dialogue adds a great deal to the plot line. We see through each character's voice their diversity, personality, and characteristics, as well as the origin of each character. The dialogue of the suspects reflects the setting in Harlem in New York through the language they use and the structure of their speaking. Because the plot contains a trial, Myers introduces vital information through the witnesses here and there. This makes the plot very unclear. However, this obscurity is good in a sense; it allows the reader to make their own assumptions without being biased towards what the main character thinks.
By S. Paine
The book, Monster by Walter Dean Myers is a book about a sixteen-year-old boy on trial for murder. It is written in a combination of journal entries and movie scrip format. The boy, Steve, is struggling to find the answers to the questions he ponders in the jail cell about what "being guilty" truly means.
The plot is told partially from Steve's journal entries which are windows into his mind and thoughts. The rest is told in a movie script format. It is not always clear because the movie jumps from scene to scene. There is constant symbolism that Steve uses and it is sometimes difficult to follow. Also, because the reader has to act as the jury to decide whether or not Steve is guilty there is very little information on the crime that Steve gives himself. All the reader knows is what the witnesses say and because most of the witnesses are criminals, it is difficult to know whether or not they are lying. More information in this area would have benefited the story and plot. The plot is crafted very well, however, despite any flaws and it truly draws the reader in from the very beginning. The reader gets attached to Steve and, from the very beginning, needs to know what the verdict will be.
The book is quickly paced, perhaps at times too quickly paced which can lead to confusion on the reader's part but it draws the reader in and leaves them hanging on to every word, and unable to put it down until the very end. The pace matches the plot of the story which is a beneficial aspect and it moves through the court case quickly so the reader does not become bored with the constant questioning of witnesses and court procedure. Walter Dean Myers does not linger on unimportant details that would slow the pacing of the novel and possibly bore the reader.
The prison the setting contributes to the dramatic effect of the novel the most of all the different settings. The reader gets a look into the lives of those in prison and witness things, through the movie script and the journal entries, that they may not want to witness but which are reality. By using this setting Myers explains the desperation that Steve experiences because it shows what he has to go through on a regular basis. If Steve was content with where he was then the story would have a very different feel. It is the desperation that he experiences that makes the story so intense. The setting helps that novel greatly. Because the reader is like the jury only bits and pieces of information are given at a time, through the witnesses, there is not a sudden large amount of information that is given at any point in the book. This is a good thing because the story in itself can get confusing and if there was an onslaught on information it could leave the reader very confused. This way of giving information is good because it keeps the reader's attention but also lets them think about new information before having to process more. Further more the "jury" method that Myers uses makes a very interesting and entertaining read. Myers is consistent with the time period setting throughout the novel besides flashbacks and so this makes the book a bit easier to follow.
Most of the characters that Myers created are realistic. Steve, for example, for the most part doesn't go along with the stereotypes generally associated with the group of people that he is associated with. All the characters are consistent in their actions throughout the book which also leads to more realistic characters. One weak point with the characters is that you get into no one's head but Steve's. If the story was from more then one point of view then the reader would gain a more in-depth understanding of the characters.
The dialogue in the story is consistent with the setting. The gang members use their "hood lingo" and the judge and lawyers use a more formal speech. This is consistent with the setting because, in life that is most likely how those two groups of people would speak. There is not too much profanity which could offend readers and there are not heavy accents which could be confusing to decipher. The dialogue matches the conflicts and the characters of the story.
Because of the point of view of the novel the reader gets the information in bits and pieces. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. Because the setting of the novel jumps around a bit having the point of view stay the same is beneficial because this way the reader always knows who is talking. Another good point is that this way you do not have a biased opinion of everything. Because you do not know any of the character's reactions to the courtroom proceedings you make your own opinions and are not affected by the opinions of the narrator. It is a bad thing because this way you only get inside the head of one person and so you do not truly understand the motivations and thoughts of the other characters. There is also a reason why the point of view is not beneficial to the story, because the reader does not process the information through a narrator it could be easy to become confused. When you are processing information with another, even if that other is simply a character it is helpful because they may be able to assist the reader in processing information by having their own thoughts revealed to the person reading the novel.
By S. Cherry
FADE IN:
INT. JAIL CELL - DAY
STEVE HARMON, 16, a young, black boy on trial for felony murder, sits with his pencil between his fingers writing a screenplay titled MONSTER.
The plot of the novel Monster, written by Walter Dean Myers is about Steve Harmon, a young, black, boy on trial for felony murder. An interesting part of the book is that it's written like a script, except when it's Steve's notes, which is his point of view of how his case is going. I feel that the plot is clear and believable. Right from the start of the book, you get an idea of how the rest of the book will be, which is very slow moving. The story starts right when the case begins, which I think is a perfect starting point for the novel. The story ends with the verdict. The author used flashbacks before and after the robbery and murder to show details of the crime and background on Steve's life. There were no real subplots in the book, the story focused on Steve's case and Steve's life in prison during his trial. In addition, I think the pacing of the book is perfect. The story maintained my attention, and it moves nice and slow, adding drama and suspense, which is perfect because Monster is a dramatic novel. Moving on to the setting of the novel, I was made to feel like I was sitting in a courtroom on a hot July day. The descriptions of the setting gave me a good idea about where the story took place. The author does a great job keeping the dialogue authentic and order of events consistent. The characters from the projects talk like they are from the projects and the lawyers know lawyer lingo. Furthermore, characterization plays a key role in the novel Monster. The characters actions make the book more believable without promoting stereotypes. Both young kids in the projects and white lawyers really do act like that in real life, like how they are portrayed in the novel. Steve learns a bit more about society, the government, and racism throughout the story. Most of the time during the novel a character's background is given all at once. Another important part of Monster is the dialogue. All of the dialogue takes place in the form of characters lines in a script, which I feel engages the reader even more. The novel doesn't tell you when it takes place but you get the idea that it takes place in the present, and all of the language is correct with a present time frame. One character in particular, Osvaldo Cruz might have a bit of a heavy New York accent, but that definitely works with his character. Every character displays their own unique emotions and pattern of speech. Some characters feel differently than others and act differently than others would. I think there is a diverse bunch of characters with their own sense of being. The dialogue matches the conflicts and intensity of the novel. Everyone is nervous and anxious to see Steve's verdict whether he is guilty or not. Finally, the novel is written with two points of view. When the novel is written like a script, it's in third person, but when you are reading Steve's notes, the book is written in Steve's point of view, which is first person. Overall, the novel Monster is a great novel which enlightened me about racism within the criminal justice system.
FADE TO BLACK:
By Jami-le Grace (springfield, VT, USA)
The plot in monster is clear and believable, what makes it clear and believable is that the plot is easy to follow and the situation could happen in real life. I believe that the story does start too soon it should start a little before the robbery and the kidnapping so that we can have some background information on all the characters. There was enough information about the robbery itself, but there could have been more background information on the characters. Steve did resolve all his conflicts in that he was found not guilty and gets to live out his youth and not spend it in jail. The subplots advance the story in giving us background information about story and the robbery itself.
Yes the pacing match of the story fit the genre of the story. The story moved at a good speed for me. The story does hold my attention it was hard to put the book down while reading it.
The story Monster does bring me to the court room where they are while reading it. The description of the settings just unfolds as story unfolds. The actions and vocabulary of the characters in the book Monster fit the time period and the type of setting that they were in. The order of events is not consistent though out the book they keep going back and forth from present to past.
The characters seem real in the book, they do have some stereotyping in there but I don't think that was what they were based on. I think that they were made to be real people not just stereotypes. We don't really get the background of most the characters, the ones we do get are small bits and pieces.Yes, Steve does change though out the story. He changes in a good direction neer the end of the book which is better than him changing in the bad direction. The characters actions are for the most part consistent, because the book takes place over only a week. The only characters actions that I would say have changed would have to be Steve's when he is released from jail he is a better person, because of the time he did spend in jail. Yes, Steve does change though out the story. He changes in a good direction neer the end of the book which is better than him changing in the bad direction. We don't really get the background of most the characters, the ones we do get are small bits and pieces.
Yes, the language of the story matches the time frame of the story nicely. Yes, the dialogue matches very good with the conflict in the novel. Yes, every character does have a different pattern of speech, they are all from different parts of the city so there dialogue would be different. There is little to no profanity used in the book at all. No heavy accents or other dialogue issues that were in the book.
The novel stays with Steve's point of view as if he was seeing it as a movie, so the n
By lisa shea (honolulu, hi)
i picked this book up not really knowing what to expect and it was definitely a surprise. it started off a little disjointed, got a little better in the middle and got to be a page-turner at the end, so i'm glad i picked it up. the opening line gives a great idea of what kind of power this book holds.
"The best time to cry is at night, when the lights are out and someone is being beaten up and screaming for help."
the story is told from the perspective of ...more i picked this book up not really knowing what to expect and it was definitely a surprise. it started off a little disjointed, got a little better in the middle and got to be a page-turner at the end, so i'm glad i picked it up. the opening line gives a great idea of what kind of power this book holds.
"The best time to cry is at night, when the lights are out and someone is being beaten up and screaming for help."
the story is told from the perspective of 16 year old Steve Harmon, on trial for felony murder for allegedly acting as a lookout in a robbery where the store owner was shot and killed. through his obvious fear of the situation, we become his audience, his jury, and are left to determine his guilt.
as an aspiring film maker, Steve tells his story in a screenplay fashion, complete with scene fades, camera close ups and voice overs. the style took some time to get used to, but it did work, for the most part. between the script, we are given some more personal insight into his life through journal entries detailing his thoughts regarding the trial.
"The movie is more real in so many ways than the life I am leading. No, that's not true. I just desperately wish this was only a movie."
the bulk of the story is spent in the courtroom, as we follow the proceedings, but it is written in a clear and simple way that isn't overly complicated. the few moments that are reflections of his time in jail are powerful statements of what it means to be incarcerated, without being too graphic.
"They take away your shoelaces and your belt so you can't kill yourself no matter how bad it is. I guess making you live is part of the punishment."
although there are a lot of side characters in the guards, lawyers, and witnesses, it's clear throughout that the focus is entirely on Steve. he comes across as a quiet kind of kid, just trying to make it through life in Harlem, passionate about his film-making and uncertain about his own future. we watch as he questions his own moral fiber, unsure if he is fact the Monster that the prosecution claims him to be.
although it had a rough start, i did enjoy this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in what it would mean to be a juvenile on trial. my only complaint is that there could have been more substance, more depth in Steve's journal entry moments. i think this could have given us more of a connection to the character, although that may have been against the author's intentions. i can see how this was written with the intention that the reader is there, as an impartial juror would be, left to our own decisions based on the information presented.
regardless, this would make for excellent reading in a classroom setting and is an excellent attempt to tackle race issues and violence in our society.
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