"Monster" by Walter Dean Myers tells the story of Steve Harmon, a 16-year-old African American boy who is on trial for his alleged role in a robbery that resulted in murder. The narrative is presented as a screenplay, reflecting Steve’s passion for filmmaking and his desire to assert his identity amidst the harsh realities of the criminal justice system. As he navigates the courtroom proceedings, he grapples with themes of race, justice, and his own self-perception, questioning whether he is truly a "monster" or just a young man caught in a dire situation. The story explores the complexities of guilt, innocence, and societal perceptions. [Generated by language model - please report any problems].

This book is the winner of numerous awards

This book is part of a book series called Monster .

There are 281 pages in this book.

It is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed.

This book was published in 1999 by HarperCollins Publishers Inc .

Walter Dean Myers is an award-winning writer of fiction, non-fiction and poetry for young people. His many titles include the Newbery Honor Books Scorpions and Somewhere in the Darkness, and the Caldecott Honor Book Harlem in collaboration with his son Christopher, who also worked with him on Monster. Walter Dean Myers grew up in Harlem and now lives in Jersey City, New Jersey, with his family.