Review: Monster (Monster #1) by Walter Dean Myers

Friday, January 26, 2018


Title:  Monster

Series: Monster #1

Author: Walter Dean Myers

Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Crime

Publication Date:  December 14th 2004 by Amistad (first published April 21st 1999)

Format: Hardcover

Source: Borrow from little sister.


Rating:







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 who is the prosecutor called me. Monster.

Fade In: Interior Court. A guard sits at a desk behind Steve. Kathy O'Brien, Steve's lawyer, is all business as she talks to Steve.

O'Brien
Let me make sure you understand what's going on. Both you and this king character are on trial for felony murder. Felony Murder is as serious as it gets. . . . When you're in court, you sit there and pay attetion. You let the jury know that you think the case is a serious as they do. . . .

Steve
You think we're going to win ?

O'Brien (seriously)
It probably depends on what you mean by "win."

Sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon is on trial for murder. A Harlem drugstore owner was shot and killed in his store, and the word is that Steve served as the lookout.

Guilty or innocent, Steve becomes a pawn in the hands of "the system," cluttered with cynical authority figures and unscrupulous inmates, who will turn in anyone to shorten their own sentences. For the first time, Steve is forced to think about who he is as he faces prison, where he may spend all the tomorrows of his life.

As a way of coping with the horrific events that entangle him, Steve, an amateur filmmaker, decides to transcribe his trial into a script, just like in the movies. He writes it all down, scene by scene, the story of how his whole life was turned around in an instant. But despite his efforts, reality is blurred and his vision obscured until he can no longer tell who he is or what is the truth. This compelling novel is Walter Dean Myers's writing at its best.






I will admit I thought this book was a non-fiction book when I first heard about it on Litsy. But than I heard it was a realistic fiction book, which I tend to stay away from realistic book. Because I just want to read about fiction worlds and step away from the real world issues in books from time too time. But I've been hearing great things about Monster on the Litsy app, that I was going to check it out from the library at first. But than when I was staying at my parents house recovery from my Achilles Heel surgery, I was looking through my little sister book shelf and I saw she had the book Monster. So I started too read it right away. Now Monster is a quick pace read, I read it in one setting, but it was not one of my favorite books that I read this year. Don't get me wrong it is a really good book, and it's great for educations use for students in school which I think kids and students should absolutely read this book. But like I said I don't normally read realistic book quite often. Monster is actually the first realistic book that I have read, and it most definitely won't be my last I would love too read my books like Monster in the near future. Now I don't want too go into any details about Monster, because I think every readers knows what it is about. But I will say I did highly liked and enjoyed it so much, it was totally a refreshing and very important read as well. And has open my eyes wide open to the reality of what's happening in the world today. All and all I really liked and enjoyed Monster that I am going to try read more realistic books in the near future!













pseudonyms:
Stacie Williams
Stacie Johnson

Walter Dean Myers was born on August 12, 1937 in Martinsburg, West Virginia but moved to Harlem with his foster parents at age three. He was brought up and went to public school there. He attended Stuyvesant High School until the age of seventeen when he joined the army.

After serving four years in the army, he worked at various jobs and earned a BA from Empire State College. He has been writing full time since 1977.
Walter Dean Myers

Walter has been writing since childhood and publishing since 1969 when he won the Council on Interracial Books for Children contest which resulted in the publication of his first book for children, Where Does the Day Go?, by Parent's Magazine Press. Since then he has published over seventy books for children and young adults. He has received many awards for his work in this field including the Coretta Scott King Award, five times. Two of his books were awarded Newbery Honors. He has been awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award and the Virginia Hamilton Award. For one of his books, Monster, he has received the first Michael Printz Award for Young Adult literature awarded by the American Library Association. Monster and Autobiography of My Dead Brother were selected as National Book Award Finalists.

In addition to the publication of his books, Walter has contributed to educational and literary publications. He has visited schools to speak to children, teachers, librarians, and parents. For three years he led a writing workshop for children in a school in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Walter Dean Myers was married, had three grown children and lived in Jersey City, New Jersey. He died on July 1, 2014, following a brief illness. He was 76 years old.
















4 comments:

  1. Hmm I had actually never heard of this book before but it sounds interesting. I am finding that I like realistic fiction more and more as I get older, but in general I'm still more into fantasy worlds as well. I might give this one a try, though, since I've been enjoying crime books as of late. Great job on the review and glad that the book has expanded your horizons!

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    1. I love fantasy world more in books as well, but I am starting to like realistic fiction books a little bit more now. Even though this is my first realistic fiction book that I have read as of yet. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog Jamie B. :D

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  2. This one looks and sounds SO familiar, but I can't recall if I have read it... I'll have to find out! :)

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    1. Yes I seen this book a lot on Litsy, that's how I heard and seen it on. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog Erica.

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