In Currins 650, we have spent a lot of time thinking critically about how we could potentially teach the books we've read in our own future classrooms. In particular, Walter Dean Myer's Monster would be a tough one to teach, but a rewarding one for similar reasons.
The biggest thing that makes this book one that would raise eyebrows is obviously the content. Showing a young boy in this light it something that is shocking and could be seen as inappropriate. It is graphic and raw, and a real life depiction of this trial.
However, as we talked about when we did our module on censorship, it is worth it to read "banned books" or books that have been challenged for their content for multiple reasons; one argument against the censorship of this book would be the overarching themes that are portrayed throughout the story, which have been explained and delved into in previous posts on this blog. Furthermore, the way the book is written could be a teaching moment for YA students. Since it's written like a script, it has been called an "experimental" book. Bringing up this fact could challenge students to think about why this choice was made by the author, or what type of "experimental" writing they could do on their own. This critical thinking and reflective strategy would be beneficial to students. Obviously the rewards far outweigh the risks of teaching this book.
Secondly, there have been some common themes that show up in a lot of the novels we've read that have been considered Young Adult literature. One of these is self image, which is a huge part of the book Monster. The main character Steve has been called a monster for so long that he believes it, and it's hard for him to shake this image of himself, going as far as to say he even thought he was guilty. It seems that Steve is still greatly impacted by this self-image--even when the story is over.
--Taylor May Hagenbucher
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