Why Monster

Before reading this novel I was wondering what book am I going to pick for my summer reading assignment. Scrolling down the list of books I have to choose from, none of any interest to me. Here I am wondering if there even is a good action book on the list that will keep me on the edge of my seat. Then I come across Monster, the cover photo on the book intrigued me, as I have never seen a book with a cover photo as a mugshot. Also by looking at the title the word monster comes to me as a heroic storyline within a movie or book that a see or read, but along with the heroic storyline comes times where there is action packed into the book. Me knowing this and all the things that came into my head by glancing at this book allowed me to have some interest in the book and even more pick it up and read it.

          I had no personal connection with this book after reading it. I don’t want to spoil a lot but this book involves the justice system, and I have not had any experiences with the justice system or anything of that nature, making me immune to connecting personally with this novel. 

Monster By Walter Dean Myers

In a novel from Myers a teenager who dreams of being a filmmaker writes the story of his trial for felony murder in the form of a movie script, with eye grabbing journal entries after each day’s action. Steve is accused of being an accomplice in the robbery and murder of a drug store owner, or for something else but I will let that be up to you to find out. As he goes through his trial, returning each night to a dull, trapped, frighting prison where most nights he can hear other inmates yelling at each other screaming and dark noises, he reviews each one of the events leading to this point in his life. Myers leaves it up to readers to decide for themselves on his protagonist. The format of this heart moving drama forcefully regulates the pacing, with breathless, edge-of-the-seat courtroom scenes written entirely in dialogue arranged with thought. These journal entries that offer a sense of Steve’s eye closing terror and unique confusion, and that deftly demonstrate Myers’s main point of the reading, if you would want to know, you gotta read the book.

Summer Reading 2nd Part

Major Character (What He Desires)

Steve Harmon -
This sixteen year old after facing the realities of crime he is facing a battle within himself for a right to call himself good. This is a ongoing battle through out the book because of all the guilt that gets thrown at him and how deeply this affects Steve and his self-confidence. He expresses conflict over his guilt or innocence in various ways. Did he participate in the robbery and therefore, according to the law, is he equally as guilty as the person who killed Nesbitt? So after evaluating Steve you can see that Steve desires or wants the right to call himself a good person, also I would say he wants the guilt to go away.

Theme

The primary theme of the story that is beginning to develop is examining how a person who commits a crime (Young Adult) is arrested, convicted, tried, and punished. This book looks at the legal system through the eyes of a young, African American teenager. He paints horrible images of life in jail

Structure

At quick glance, I thought the screenplay would be distracting and Steve’s journal entries appeared at random. However, after getting used to the style (This is a very new style for me), I quickly realized just how effective it is. This style creates an important visual element that makes the story engaging.

Summer Reading 1st Post of Monster

Major Characters

Steve Harmon -
He is a sixteen year old young Black male who has been arrested for being the look-out in robbery that goes bad and ends in a murder. He is the narrator for the story.

Kathy O’Brien - 
She is Steve’s defense attorney she distances him from the other defendants as way of getting a not guilty verdict.

Sandra Petrocelli -
She is the Assistant District Attorney who prosecutes the case against Steve and James King. She labels them “monsters.” Which is where the title of the book comes from

James King -
A black man who is also young, but older than Steve, he encourages Steve to be a part of his crew which will rob the drugstore. He is accused of being in the drugstore, wrestling Mr. Nesbitt for the gun, and ultimately shooting the older man to death.

Setting

The story takes place in Manhattan and Harlem, New York City, mostly in a city lockup, but sometimes in the neighborhood where Steve Harmon lives.

Conflict

The book consists of multiple conflicts between man vs. man also man vs. self but I would say the main the conflict is man vs. society. It is man vs. society because Steve is 16 years and deal with the most frightening nature of the justice system.  But could also be man vs. self because of Steve's battle to prove his innocence within the novel.

Divergent Book Review

Overall Divergent has been an amazing book start to end. It has a great plot and I am surprised to say that Divergent kept me in the book from start to end. Which is pretty hard to do the only other books to do this was the 1st Hunger Games and the Last Olympian (the last book in percy jackson series). I am still debating rather to read the next book over the summer if we do not get a summer reading assignment (that is how bad Veronica Roth has me hooked) and let me tell you the ending is unbeilable. I am still wondering when Tris and Four will get married, by the looks of it maybe 3rd book ( I have not read the 3rd book so don't suspect it)

Going back to the rating i defiantly give this book a solid 9.5 maybe a 10, the only situations I didn't quiet like is the drama/ relationships with Tris. Divergent is that one novel that had me jumping out of my seat, biting my nails, cheering her on one minute, and wanting to throw away the book the next. But then the next minute she is putting herself in danger for someone else, and you soon understand why she has a bit of a split personality.

An Item Symbolizing Tris

If I were to have an item to symbolize Tris it would be a sword. A sword can symbolize a role as a hero. Looking at Tris she has all the traits of a hero. One of the traits being determined,Tris' personality evolves over time throughout the first book/movie. Through her trials, achievements, experiences, she becomes more determined. Determination is a built-in motivation that keeps her going. She stands up and fights for the people she loves yet lets nothing stop her from her goals. If Tris' character lacked determination, she would not have passed initiation. 

Another Trait of hers is Bravery, When Tris chose dauntless as her faction, it's because she saw bravery inside of her. She is courageous, can be bold, and does what is right to her. Clearly without those traits, she would not have the courage or strength to even attempt to save the people in Abnegation. Her bravery allowed her to transfer into Dauntless in the first place, and then discover a different side of her personality which shaped her into a more well-rounded person. There are many other traits that Tris has but the list would go on for ever. 

Climax(My Favorite Part)

My Favorite part of the book is the climax. The climax of the book is at the end where Jeanine tried to take over the Dauntless faction by having one of the trainers inject all initiates with a simulation.  The simulation turned all of the initiates in to robot-like creatures that were being forced to do what Jeanine told them to.  All Dauntless initiates were sent to Abnegation to kill off all Abnegation people.  Jeanine captures Tris and Tobias after she finds out that they Divergent and injects a special simulation liquid into Tobias and his mind gets taken over by the simulation and all of his friends become his enemies and his enemies become his friends.  Tobias goes to Dauntless headquarters in the control room to control the Dauntless soldiers.

This is my favorite part id the climax because off all the stuff that goes down in a matter of such a short time, the Dauntless get brain washed, Tris a Tobias get caught, while Tobias is put in a special simulation by controlling what he sees. the Jeanine decides shell just kill Tris because she is shot in the shoulder. While i was reading chapter 33 and 34 I almost got a heart attack because of everything that happened.