Late in the afternoon of December 22, a drugstore on 145th Street in Harlem is robbed and owner Alguinaldo Nesbitt left dead on the floor. Four males, Richard Evans, 22, James King, 23, Osvaldo Cruz, 14, and Steve Harmon are arrested. According to the Prosecutor, King and Evans carried out the robbery, Harmon cased the drugstore ahead of time and gave the all clear, and Cruz was the lookout posted on the sidewalk in front of the store. King and Harmon are charged with felony murder. Evans and Cruz have already admitted their part in the crime and are testifying against King and Harmon in return for reduced sentences.
As Steven sits on trial he begins to write the screen play of his life, starting with the trial. Steven reflects on the feeling of being in a courtroom as a young African American male, not tried by a court of peers. His best bet as told to him by his defense lawyer is to “look more human” in opposed the the MONSTER he is painted to be even called by the prosecuting attorney.
He also on his time in jail and living around the constant cycle of violence and sexual assault which usually comes hand in hand. How long can he stay here till he falls prey to one or the other? How can you live with “MONSTERS” and not become one.
We also get a look a Steven's memories of a middle class A student life. His family and role model position in his younger brother's life. The way he devoted himself to school and film club. Now it seems to be a distant memory. My how days can seem like weeks when your freedom is gone, missing, stolen? Is Steven innocent or a agonizing case of the wrong place at the wrong time, only the reader can decide.
This is a book I was avoiding reading because it is written as a screen play with transitions into his journal in prison and I generally don't like screen plays or books written in an unilateral fashion. However, when I got past the first chapter I was unable to put it down. I did not even look up until I was halfway through the book. The book does a very good job of giving the reader a first hand look into the life of Steven Harmon. I also enjoyed the ending where his guilt or innocence is left for the reader to decide.
Hurt gives it 3.7 out of 5
Reading level: Young Adult
Author Walter Dean Myers
Cover artist Christopher Myers
Country United States
Language English
Genre(s) Drama, Crime novel
Publisher Harpercollins
Publication date April 21, 1999
Media type Print (Paperback)
Pages 281 pp
ISBN 0-064-40731-4
OCLC Number 40043530
From "School Library Journal"
Grade 7 Up-Steve Harmon, 16, is accused of serving as a lookout for a robbery of a Harlem drugstore. The owner was shot and killed, and now Steve is in prison awaiting trial for murder. From there, he tells about his case and his incarceration. Many elements of this story are familiar, but Myers keeps it fresh and alive by telling it from an unusual perspective. Steve, an amateur filmmaker, recounts his experiences in the form of a movie screenplay. His striking scene-by-scene narrative of how his life has dramatically changed is riveting. Interspersed within the script are diary entries in which the teen vividly describes the nightmarish conditions of his confinement. Myers expertly presents the many facets of his protagonist's character and readers will find themselves feeling both sympathy and repugnance for him. Steve searches deep within his soul to prove to himself that he is not the "monster" the prosecutor presented him as to the jury. Ultimately, he reconnects with his humanity and regains a moral awareness that he had lost. Christopher Myers's superfluous black-and-white drawings are less successful. Their grainy, unfocused look complements the cinematic quality of the text, but they do little to enhance the story. Monster will challenge readers with difficult questions, to which there are no definitive answers. In some respects, the novel is reminiscent of Virginia Walter's Making Up Megaboy (DK Ink, 1998), another book enriched by its ambiguity. Like it, Monster lends itself well to classroom or group discussion. It's an emotionally charged story that readers will find compelling and disturbing.Edward Sullivan, New York Public Library Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
