Monster of a Unique Book

This week I read Monster by Walter Dean Meyers. If anything, it was really unique. The format of the book is that of a screen play. However the book also contains diary entries in order to reveal what the main character is thinking.

The book is about the trial of a 16 year old African American who is put on trial for helping with a murder that resulted from an armed robbery. However it is not explain whether or not the main character was actually involved. The book explains what happens in the courtroom as well as the jail. There are also flashbacks; however the only point of view that is seen is that of the main character.

I liked the main character of the book and I really like how the book portrays relationships with other characters. I was actually very shocked because I thought that the author portrayed the main character, a young black teen, very well. I was shocked because I thought the author was of Caucasian origin but once I looked up the author I realized he was African American and because of his childhood he could probably relate to the main character in an effective way, in order to get his message across.

I was actually looking up the author to find his background. The book takes place around a trial and Meyers was able to make it feel very real. I looked into Meyers’ bio to see if he had any background in law but I did not find anything about it so I’m assuming he had to do extensive research about the justice system in order to write this book. The assumption signifies that the author is very dedicated to his work because of the detail found in his writing.

The strongest part of the book is how relationships and views are portrayed. I especially like how the author portrays the main character’s relationship with his family and the main character’s views on living in a jail. The emotions portrayed were very strong and real.

The main problem I saw was that because the book was written as a screen play, the main character seemed distant. The diary entries seemed to make the main character more relatable but I do not think there were enough entries to make the audience feel fully connected to the character.

Monster is a strong YA book because the author fully immerses himself into the teen persona. The character handles the situations without the slightest hint of an adult’s perspective. This writing style will make the character a lot more relatable to teens.

Overall I liked Monster and I think that a young adult could take a lot from the book. It teaches about the importance of self discovery amidst other peoples’ strong predispositions. It slightly battles racism with respect to people prejudging, however it does not tackle the subject fully. I think that the ending was also unique and it leaves a lot of room for discussion.

--Amer Rasheed