Monster by Walter Dean Myers

I picked this one up for my son, the one I tell you about, the 12 going on 112 Social Just Warrior, LGBTQ Proud Community member....It looked like something he would interested in/learn from...

I read it first to make sure it is ok for him, see how much we will need to talk as he reads it, that kind of thing. He reads at an amazingly high level so I have to check for age appropriate or at least him appropriate content, which basically means we avoid explicit adult like sexual content. 

Anyway, back to Monster...

I have a weakness for books that make me feel, as I have told you before, but when I feel so much that the writer's words have left me ripped open, exposed, raw...those are usually among the very best books. Monster goes in that grouping. 

It is written mostly as a screenplay by 16 year old Steve, a young black man in jail and on trial for his alleged part in a robbery that ended up with a man dying. He is trying to process what is happening to him and understand why the prosecutor called him a monster. He maintains his innocence but is learning that no one cares or sees that, he is learning that the color of his skin precludes him from the legal protection of presumed innocent until otherwise proven. He is afraid of the noises he hears at night in the jail cells around him. He is afraid of losing in court and spending the rest of his life in prison. He is afraid he is a monster. So he writes a movie in his notebook to try and tell the story and hopefully understand. 

My son has an interest in filmmaking including the screenplay writing process so I thought he would find this an interesting format and way to tell a story on a topic he cares about.

 

My heart shredded reading his fear and tears. This book is from 1999 but it is so damn relevant today as there is still a school to prison pipeline and unarmed young men of color are dying at the hands of law enforcement, and now there is an epidemic of white people (shame on you those who do this) calling the cops on people for swimming, canvassing for a campaign, selling water bottles (think lemonade stand), while black. 

Myers is a powerful user of the written word, I think I will look into more of his books. And I will be having some deep talks with my son when he reads this. 

(Finished July 10, 2018)