Book Review: Monster by Walter Dean Myers

MONSTER by WALTER DEAN MYERS

Genre:

 Young Adult Contemporary Fiction

Awards:

 Printz Award (2000), National Book Award Nominee, Coretta Scott King Award for Author Honor (2000), ALA's Top Ten Best Books For Young Adults (2000), Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee (2005)

My Rating:

☆☆☆

(2.5ish)

SYNOPSIS:



FADE IN: INTERIOR: Early morning in CELL BLOCK D, MANHATTAN DETENTION CENTER.
Steve (Voice-Over)Sometimes I feel like I have walked into the middle of a movie. Maybe I can make my own movie. The film will be the story of my life. No, not my life, but of this experience. I'll call it what the lady prosecutor called me ... Monster.

MY THOUGHTS:

Steve Harmon, a young African-American living in Queens, NY is on trial for his life.

After reading 'Jellicoe Road' by Melina Marchetta, I wanted to read more Printz Award winning books so I found a Listopia list on Goodreads and saw that this one was in the top ten or so. I had seen it on my library's YA shelf multiple times and passed it up so I figured it was about time to give it a chance.

'Monster' is written in a unfamilar format similar to theatrical play scripts because the main character sees the ordeal he goes through in this book as an oppurtunity to build onto his filmmaking experiences. There are also bits of 'diary format' to give you the personal thoughts of the character.

To be honest, I was very bored with this book. I cannot relate to the character or the setting at all but having that new perspective was a small eye-opener. (Not really.) There really wasn't much to this book at all and therefore I don't have much to say about it. I do agree that it is a good book for troubled youth to read and maybe get an idea of how the court system works.