Monster

There are some books at first glance that you might decide to stay away from. Monster by Walter Dean Myers might be one. It is only in Young Adult, but I read it because it was one of the 2000 Coretta Scott King author honorees. And I like Walter Dean Myers as an author. He writes, and writes well, about a world that I know very little about nor do I understand it.

The book is about a sixteen-year-old African American boy who is on trial for felony murder. He is in a film club at his school so he has decided to document his trial in the form of a film that he would direct. It helps him to pass the time in his jail cell. It gives him an opportunity to escape in his mind. It also helps him to survive. In the end it will help him to discover who he is and what he has become. And we get to read the script.

Steve Harmon was asked by James King to be a sort of look out for the robbery of a drugstore. He was supposed to case the joint and give the all clear signal. Then King and another man, known as Bobo, would enter and rob the place. There was another youth involved who was to delay anyone who might try to enter during the robbery or give chase afterwards. Unfortunately, the owner pulled a gun to protect himself and ended up being shot and left mortally wounded.

Here's where it gets confusing. See there is this prisoner who hears that Bobo sold stolen cigarettes and was involved in the drugstore robbery. He calls the authorities and uses the information in order to lessen his jail time. Then the authorities arrest Bobo on entirely different charges - selling drugs to an undercover officer. Bobo agrees to give the names of the other parties involved in the robbery and testify against them in order to get a lesser sentence for himself.

And this is where we find Steve and King, separate defendents, each with their own lawyer, facing a prosecutor arguing on behalf of the State of New York and its citizens and the family of the deceased.

I say that the book is graphic. The language is actually clean, but there are references to some of things that go on in prison. The prisoner who ratted on Bobo wants protection from other prisoners who are or who want to sexually molest him. There are many references to the rape of men by men in prison although not in any detail. There are a couple of beatings that are provided in detail.

What I find interesting, is that even after finishing the book, I'm not entirely sure if Steve was involved in the crime. Is he innocent? Does he believe he is innocent? On what level of innocence is it based? Did he agree to do it, but changed his mind. Was he even at the scene? And I think that is part of the beauty of the book. Some people can lie to your face and call it the truth and believe it's the truth. I know several.

What I find disheartening is that I think there are more and more boys and maybe even girls that need to read this book despite its content. And I'm thinking that they are of a much younger age than that of the main character. Reading it at 16 might be too late. Reading it at 10 might be too late.

I really loved this book for its truth. The boy has been called a monster for what he may have done or thought to do. Even his defense attorney sees a monster in the end. And so does Steve. He will struggle with that for a very long time. What is promising is that he doesn't want to be a monster. Most of the men in this book are ok with being a monster. That's life that is given out to them.