LSSL 5385: Book 7
Monster
By Walter Dean Myers
Myers, W. D.
(1999). Monster. NY: Harpercollins.
Steven Harmon, a sixteen year old
African American boy, has been accused of being an accomplice in the murder of
Mr. Nesbitt and is awaiting trial. Steve
has been implicated in the murder by James King, Richard “Bobo” Evans, and
Osvaldo Cruz as being a lookout during the robbery. He explains the proceedings of the trial and
incident in screenplay form, and with diary notes each day of the trial. Ms. O’Brien, his lawyer, is trying to prove
his innocence and instructs Steve how to conduct himself within the court. She points out to the jurors that the only
way Bobo was able to receive a deal was by admitting that he was there at the
crime scene. O’Brien shows that Steve
was acquainted with all three guys, but they were not actually friends. She points out that Steve wasn’t with them at
the restaurant after the crimes was committed, and never received any of the
money from the robbery.
Before O’Brien puts Steve on stand
she prepares him for questioning. She
uses a paper cup and either places it faced up or down. Based on the cup’s position Steve knows
whether his answer was good or needs to be rephrased to better help his
case. She stresses to Steve that he
needs to put distance between himself and Bobo and King. When the prosecutor, Petrocelli, interviews
Steve he’s able to answer the questions without any hesitation. The defense called George Sawaski, Steve’s
teacher of the film club, and is there to help Steve’s case. George is very helpful in Steve’s defense and
describes him as a talented, birth, outstanding, and compassionate young
man. He states that Steve tries with his
films to portray his neighborhood and environment in a positive way.
When the day arrives for the
verdicts to be announced King is sentenced to twenty five years to life. Cruz gets caught later on for stealing a car
and is sent to a reformatory. Bobo is
serving his time in jail. Steve Harmon
was pronounced not guilty. His innocence
doesn’t get the reaction from everyone that he was hoping for. O’Brien shies away from his hug and he
realizes that she still has her doubts about him. Steve can tell that everyone doesn’t see him
in the same way as before the trial. His
father was grateful that he wasn’t sent to jail but didn’t see the boy he had
raised and the dreams he had for him. He
moved away and the distance between Steve and his father only grew. His mother is just grateful to have her son
at home, but is curious about him always filming himself. Steve films himself to try and gain a better
understanding of what others see in him.
It still haunts him to think about what Ms. O’Brien saw in him when she
turned away. Was it a monster?
I was immediately intrigued with Monster and finished the book in one
sitting to see if Steve Harmon was innocent.
Since it’s written in a screenplay format it exposes students to a
different style of writing that isn’t normal seen in a novel. It’s a very quick read and hooks readers from
the beginning. Myers touches on the
issue of race and how it comes into play when in a courtroom. There is always the stigma that comes with it
and how a jury doesn’t always see a suspect as innocent until proven
guilty. Bravery and perseverance is
taught in Monster because Steve can’t
give up in order to prove his innocence and to take away any doubts the jury
might have about it him. Once again the
father son duo does an amazing job of bringing a story to life and keeping the
reader on the edge of their seat until the very end.
Book Trailer:
Monster Movie Trailer:
Other Books with Similar Themes:
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