In Walter Dean Myers’ novel Monster, a 16 year old black man, Steve Harmon, writes this story in the form of a screenplay because he wants to create a movie out of it. Harmon does this because he wants to prove he is innocent since he is on trial for murder along with James King. King and another man named Bobo Evans claim that Harmon assisted them in a robbery and helped kill the store owner. Harmon struggles to convince the jury that he is not guilty; but he struggles even more every time when he must go to back to his cell and face the reality. When nobody believes in him, he must prove to himself and all the others that he is not a monster.

Monster is decent book but would not be my first choice. Although very little suspense is added, the format is very interesting. The screenplay is fun way to read the story because it is not common. On the other hand, the book becomes dull in a large portion of the story. This is because there is never anything surprising and it is very predictable. For example, most of the story is them in court questioning witnesses. Besides that, the rest of the story includes Harmon having flashbacks to his childhood and him sitting in his cell; which is probably the most intense part of this novel. This is because we hear people crying and being raped in jail, although those scenes are still not very exciting. Monster will not have you sitting on the edge of your seat, but it is still an interesting book to read.

If you are looking for a different and unique book, Monster is the story I would recommend for you. If you are looking for a thrilling and suspenseful story, this is just not the right novel.