Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - Monster

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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remy_licked_my_book's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Things I loved:
-a very relatable topic to the world today and really sheds light on how the world has historically and still continues to try to put away a young black offender or alleged offender simply for being black. That prejudice is a poison on our system.
-there was raw emotion in this book. I could feel Steve's fear every time he went back to the cell.
-Once I got used to the format, I liked that it flipped between first person in his journalling to second person in the movie script, it added that extra layer of distancing himself from the trial.

Things I Wasn't Crazy About:
-The relationship with his dad felt complicated in a way that I wish would have been investigated more thoroughly.
-Actually I wish there would have been more depth to almost all of the relationships with everyone in his family. There was one or two stories about his brother but I wanted to know more about their bond.

I think this is a good book to open discussions in classrooms around race and the law, however as an adult I have read better non fiction accounts with similar storyline.

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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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