Reviews with content warning for Death - Monster

This was quick, but it was quite good. The dramatized reading especially highlights how unequal and theatrical our justice system is and that justice itself usually isn't even one of the top five goals during these proceedings. It's all so broken.

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anniefwrites's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

I can see why this was the first winner of the Printz Award. Walter Dean Myers captured Steve's voice so well that it really felt like reading the character's own notebook and screenplay. The unique structure really helped to propel the plot at a quick pace. I know that often trials drag on instead of breeze past (see Know My Name by Chanel Miller), but I think for the audience and the reading experience, a fast pace was a great choice.

I especially loved how, despite having an objectively "happy" ending, it shows the nuance in Steve's situation--just being accused of this crime has changed his life for the worse, in his family, his psyche. I love how he turns to an art form to process his complex emotions about the trial and his time in jail; it's a real testament to the impact that creating can have on us, even in our darkest moments. You don't have to know if Steve was guilty or not; this book was ahead of it's time in the way it shows how inhumane prison is, regardless of crimes committed.

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tigerkind's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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gracefulbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I am still trying to figure out if I want to rate this 4 or 5 stars so I'll come back to you with my official rating later but let me just say this book is...chef's kiss to put it simply. My boyfriend is the one who recommended this to me. We were just walking around Barnes & Noble and this was on a sales table and I was looking at them and he saw it on the table and said he enjoyed it and thought I would like it too. He doesn't like many books that aren't non-fiction so I knew I needed to pick it up.

Anyway, this is a story about a black teen named Steve Harmon. He is currently in jail under the charge of being apart of murder & robbery that happened in a drug store last year. We spend the story following the court case and reading from Steve's journal entries, it's also formatted like a movie script for one of Steve's films.

I really loved the formatting of this book, the court case was already really interesting but the formatting made it more accessible especially for someone like me who really does not know much about legal jargon and how court cases are fully run in real life. I only really watch court cases on television or in edited documentaries so I know bits and pieces but not the real thing. I had to do some research on certain terms used in the court but I enjoyed that learning process. But with that being said, the writing style was really accessible and made the pages fly by as well as the story.

I also just loved the bits and pieces that subtly pointed out some real issues our judicial system contains, and some subtle hints at the privilege experienced by some of the characters in this story. Also, bits and pieces that showed how Steve was not treated as though he was a kid, which he is...so many parts in this story are troubling and I felt frustrated here and there as a result of it. But that is a sign of a well-written story.

I also near the end of my book have an interview with the author Walter Dean Myers, may he rest in peace-I enjoyed reading through his answers and what he intended for this book, and one of his answers to the questions really stuck out to me. The truth of the case is kind of ambiguous (also the fact that Steve's creation was the result of Myers meeting many young boys who are in Steve's situation) As Steve never tells us his side of what happened throughout the story and as a result, we as the reader are just mainly going off of what we've seen Steve write and what is being used in the case as evidence. So in a sense we the readers are part of the jury-I really really enjoyed that aspect so much and think it made me feel much more involved with this book than I have with others.

I really think this is a good book to implement in school's as required reading and also personally just think it is a book that most should read in general.

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piperlee's review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Steve is a young Black budding movie-maker who desires to show the true stories behind his community. He is also implicated in a robbery gone wrong, which could lead to the rest of his childhood spent behind bars. This book follows the trial that will decide where Steve will spend the next 25 years - either in prison or at home with his parents and little brother. I loved the unique formatting of the book - the majority written as a screenplay that Steve is creating to tell the story of his trial, mixed with a handful of first-person journal accounts that allow the reader to get a better glimpse into what Steve is thinking while awaiting his verdict. Throughout the book, the author allows the reader to choose who and what to believe, creating a commentary on truth and life circumstances rather than steering the reader to believe something specific. I was expecting more substantial commentary on racism and systemic injustice, and while these themes are definitely part of the story, the focus was placed more on the individuals and the circumstances they found themselves in. By the end, there are still questions left unanswered and the reader can wrestle with how to approach these questions, but this only creates a stronger case for the broader questions and ideas it seems the author wants us to think about.

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