Review Detail

Monster is a terrifying book by Walter Dean Myers and it was nominated for the 1999 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.

It's a story of how the little things in life, the ones we don't even notice, can lead you down the path of despair before you even know it.

Steve Harmon, a sixteen year-old, is on trial for felony murder. And why is he, an aspiring film maker and good student, there? He's there because, in part, he wanted to be as "cool" and "bad" as the other defendants in the trial. On the mean streets of Harlem, he looked up to them and wanted to be like them. And now he's on trial because he let those people make some choices for him.

The story is told in a refreshing way, alternating between Steve's portrayal of the action as a film script (his way of dealing with the horror of it all is to distance himself by imagining he is behind the camera) and diary excerpts.

The diary entries were the most horrifying part for me. A teenager's fears should be about simple things (homework, dates, getting along with your parents), not whether he will be beaten or raped by other inmates. The pain, fear and humiliation of the jail time is effectively and realistically portrayed. Mr. Myers does not pull any punches.

And that is the best thing about this book. It is honest. Steve himself is not sure of his innocence and neither is his lawyer. You cannot help feeling both sorrow and repugnance for him as you read between the lines of the story. You can't help but wonder why he ever chose to associate with the other defendants--the same thing Steve is wondering himself.

Mr. Myers's research for the story took months. He interviewed drug pushers, prostitutes, killers and other criminals serving time. Through those interviews he learned that it isn't one step that lands you in jail; it's the little decisions you make every single day.

Monster should be read by teens across the world, especially those who would like to be as "cool" as the tough kids in school. This, as Paul Harvey would say, is "the rest of the story."