Monster by Walter Dean Myers

I guess I tend to comment first on how the book was written, and Monster is no exception. It's definitely a different style of book - it was difficult at first to get into the rhythm of reading in screenplay format, maybe because some of the abbreviations were unfamiliar and I didn't think the commit them to memory until they came up again and I was confused. Also, sometimes the scene would cut after only a brief image, and I had to make sure I slowed down and visualized it before moving on. Still, after awhile I got into it, and found the mix of flashback and journal entries all really added to the story.

As far as the story itself, I noticed that I start out completely believing Steve's innocence, but as the story progresses, constant doubt is brought against him. There's the prosecutor, then his defense attorney, even his parents seem to doubt his innocence. While he's in jail, he notices some people manage to convince themselves that they're innocent and justify their actions. He wonders if he's done the same thing, convincing himself that he's innocent - this whole experience makes even him doubt himself. Then in the second half or so, he starts flashing back to conversations with Osvaldo and the other guys who already are up for jail time for involvement in the crime. Even these little snippets of conversations cast doubt, and the fact that they are never explained or concluded casts even more doubt. It almost seems like the author wants us to never know for sure whether Steve is guilty of helping with the drug-store crime. He's found not guilty by the jury, but the doubt still lingers. Now I get what was meant by the quote on the book's back cover: "An insightful look at a teenage suspect's lost innocence." I think that definitely sums it up. He isn't in jail for life, but it's like the jury will always be out on who he his: guilty or not guilty, human or criminal, boy or monster.

In teaching, I think it would be cool for students to experiment with screenwriting and/or making their own movie. I think it should be related to the book somehow - a topic, question, reaction to or alteration of the story in some way. There are also so many discussions that could come out of discussing the legal system and the flip-flop to "guilty until proven innocent," loss of innocence, identity, and predictions of how Steve's life will be post-trial. He's innocent, but his innocence is completely shadowed with doubt from all directions. Will he ever recover from that? Will his family and relationships ever recover from that?