Monster

In this section, Myers answers a dozen questions primarily about the book, his research, his motivation, and his hopes for what reactions the book might stir in readers. Myers desires that young readers will examine Steve’s decision-making process and grow and learn from Steve’s mistakes. Myers answers, “As the author, I’ll be satisfied if the reader forms his or her own opinion about these decisions and the consequences” (Additional Material, Page 10).

In this section, Myers briefly reveals the touchstones between his character and other Harlem raised young people like Steve Harmon. He relates some of his own youthful decisions that he called into question after they were made, such as dropping out of school to join the military.

Myers explains that he wrote primarily as a way of coping with his speech difficulties. Writing was the release and expression for him that filming is for Steve. Myers says, “I write to give hope to those kids who are like the ones I knew—poor, troubled, treated indifferently by society, sometimes bolstered by family and many times lacking support” (Additional Material, Page 10).

Myers explains that he writes for young adults in part because it is such a formative, exciting time in a person’s life. His desire to provoke conversations among young people so they can discuss the situations they are facing and find alternatives to conflict and violence.

Myers includes five pages from his graphic version of the novel. He provides this as an alternative way of reading the story for those more inclined to read sequential image stories.

This brief story may well have been Myers original idea for the concept that became Monster, or he may have conceived of this story as an alternative way of presenting the same key dilemma: told from the first-person point of view, Steve overhears that a crime is going to be committed and keeps this information to himself. When the event transpires and those who perpetrated the crime are gunned down, he is faced with the recognition that he might have been able to stop the process but did nothing.