Steve Harmon only wanted to get through school in peace, but after a visit to the local drug store, he’s sitting in a jail cell waiting for a verdict. Monster is an incredible piece of realistic fiction by Walter Dean Myers that was told from the perspective of a 16-year old boy, Steve Harmon. Monster is told through a movie script and the author had it written that Steve is writing from jail. The notebook is his sense of comfort hoping that this trial could tell the story of his 16th year that does not end in a prison cell. Little did he know that the jury believed he was guilty before they even started the trial because of the color of his skin.

This story has a place in my heart as one of my favorite books I’ve ever read, and Myers did an excellent job of bringing out the horror of how racism can affect someone and even criminalize them for something they didn’t do. Monster contained so much suspense, especially during Steve’s trial making me never want to put the book down, and when I did, I just wanted to pick it back up again! The characters were so realistic I felt as though I could connect to them, and I felt truly bad for Steve Harmon and all he had to go through. It's realistically sad that the people in his neighborhood turned their backs on him and tried to get him in trouble by falsely accusing him and dragging him into a crime where a drug store was robbed. This book highlights some of the world's true colors and I recommend this book to those who are older and can handle and understand such a story.