Monster by Walter Dean Myers

I ran across the book Monster by Walter Dean Myers as I was looking for something to read while I would be proctoring OGTs last week. I knew I'd be safe with something by Myers because of the way he created such an amazing story with realistic characters in Fallen Angels. I love the fact that Myers usually has Black young men and his protagonists- it's a refreshing change from most YA lit. I finished the book two days after I got it out of the library. I'd guess it took me an absolute max of four hours to read. I had to chuckle because I never read a book this quickly during the school year- because of everything else that needs to be done before I do "fun" reading.

What made this book so readable? The story is set up in the format of a diary and a screen play. The protagonist, Steve Harmon is up on trial for robbery and murder. It's unclear, until the end of the book, what role this young Black man had in the robbery and murder because the reader simply gets the happenings within the court (as people testify and as he meets with his lawyers).

Steve repeatedly describes the prison system and the legal system from his perspective. The only question I have about believability is, would a 16 year old simply on trial really be placed in a regular prison if he didn't make bail? Seems that a young man in this position would be more likely to end up in a juvie system until being tried as an adult. Then again, that's just my perspective and I'm no lawyer.

As the book progresses, the reader is drawn to Steve because he seems to be a nice kid from a loving family who seems to have just known some shady characters. The moral of the story seems to be that it's easy for anyone to get put into a position where his or her character and any acquanitances' characters may be put on trial. Overall, a fabulous read, and I'm sure that my students would especially enjoy it because it delves into the dark side, but does so in a teen-appropriate manner.