Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Myers, W. D. (1999). Monster. New York: HarperCollins Publishers LLC. ISBN 0064407314

Plot Summary 

Steve Harmon is on trial for murder.  During a robbery of a convenience store, the owner, Mr. Nesbitt is shot dead.  The prosecution wastes no time in declaring Harmon and his cohort James King "monsters."  Harmon records the events in trial as screenplay and wrestles with his actions in his journal in his cell at night.  His lawyer does not even know if he is guilty or not, so what does it matter who he really is, if people are so quick to judge and label him?

Critical Evaluation 

Myers writes this book in an experimental way, alternating between official looking screenplay and written journal entries.  There are marks on the pages throughout, the word "monster" scrawled out and scratched.  This is a story of the search for identity in the face of being labeled and judged, officially and by a jury.  The format is impersonal when it is written as a screenplay, reflecting Harmon's emotions and barriers when he is in court, but it is visceral as he questions himself as he retreats to write in his cell.

Reader's Annotation 

Steve King is labeled a "monster" by the prosection, but that it is up to him to determine for himself.

Author Information 

Walter Dean Myers was born Walter Milton Myers in 1937 in West Viriginia.  Explaining his middle name, he states, "For some strange reason I was given to a man named Herbert Dean who lived in Harlem. I consider it strange because I don't know why I was given away.  I was raised in Harlem by Herbert and his wife, Florence. Herbert was African American. Florence was German and Native American and wonderful and loved me very much."

On his seventeenth birthday he dropped out of high school to join the army, but he once had a teacher that influenced him to keep writing, no matter what else he did because she knew he was going to drop out.  Working construction, years later, Myers remembered this and began to write at night.

Genre 

Fiction, contemporary, experimental

Curriculum Ties 

Reading and Language Arts, History-Social Science

Booktalking Ideas 

Speak as Steve, writing in his journal, describing his court experience and trying to parse out whether he is a monster, debating his personal feelings with how others feel about him.

Reading Level/Interest Age 

This book ranks a 740L on the Lexile Range, and would be interesting to young adults age 15-18.

Challenge Issues 

Violence, murder, robbery, profanity, gangs, and racism are all addressed.

If challenged, I would first suggest being familiar with the work in order to speak about it directly. Then, listen the challenger's complaint, show them to positive reviews, and refer to the collection policy, stating a need to include a variety of works that may not be suitable for all, but should contain something for everyone. As a last resort, turn to the ALA Bill of Rights or First Amendment defense, but try not to let things get there; listen and reassure the patron.

Reason Selected

The interesting form of this book and the search for identity make it an ideal candidate for this library.  It also won the Printz Award and was nominated for the National Book Award.

References 

Bio. (n.d.). Walter Dean Myers. Retrieved April, 24 2013 from http://www.walterdeanmyers.net/bio.html