Life imitates art imitates life. There is power in the written and spoken word. Labels attached to individuals can inspire, enrage, or become internalized. Most of all, they stick. Monster. That's the label that has been assigned to sixteen year old Steve Harmon. Implicated as a participant in the robbery/murder of a drugstore owner by an acquaintance desiring a lighter sentence, Steve reflects on how he has gotten to this point in journal, narrative and scripted format causing readers to truly think about whether or not having knowledge about the crime that would be committed and failing to disclose it are grounds enough to assert his guilt or decide if we are being duped. Despicable and sympathetic characters populate the novel like apparent gunmen Bobo Evans and James King, disputed eyewitness Mrs. Henry, and Steve's defense attorney who is not wholly convinced of his innocence even after being found not guilty by the jury.
I admittedly sympathized with the accused while reading the text, backstory, and upbringing of the main character and staring at the cover art. I saw the faces of many of the promising students I've taught over nearly 17 years in education whose existences are identical. I have supreme faith in the American judicial system, but I shudder to imagine all the lives that are forever altered when holes and cracks are filled with young people who as a result of poor association, inadequate defense, or improper investigation carry the label Monster when guilty verdicts are returned.
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