1.) a
2.) b
3.) a
4.) b
5.) c
6.) a
7.) b
8.) c
9.) a
10.) a
11.) b
12.) c
13.) b
14.) a
15.) c
1.) Steve Harmon’s defense attorney says she wants to make her client to look like “a human being in the eyes of the jury” in contrast to the “monsters” the prosecuting attorney speaks of. Why do you think the author named his novel Monsters?
2.) Can you name a few of the novel’s scenes with Steve’s family and friends that show him as more human than monster? How does that affect your opinion of his guilt or innocence?
3.) Do you think the format of a screenplay mixed in with journal entries of the main character and narrator is an effective one? Why or why not?
4.) Cruz tells Steve that he “ain’t got the heart to be nothing but lame.” What does the idea of heart mean in Cruz’s world? Is it good or bad that Steve is accused of not having it? Do you think Steve wishes he had heart as Cruz defines it?
5.) Mr. Sawicki says that “if you make your film predictable, they’ll (the jury) will make up their minds about it long before it’s over.” Did you make up your mind about Steve’s guilt or innocence before the book was over? Did you ever change your wind or start to wonder? If so when and why?
6.) Steve testifies that he was not in the drugstore on the day of the murder, but in his journal, he says “he walked into the drugstore to look for some mints and then I walked out.” Does that mean he lied under oath? Does this make you question his innocence?
7.) The prosecutor says, “They are all equally guilty. The one who grabbed the cigarettes, the one who wrestled for the gun, the one who checked the place to see if the coast was clear.” Do you agree with that? In your opinion, is it as bad to be a conspirator in a crime as it is to commit the actual crime? Why or why not?
8.) Why do you think the author feeds the reader the story bit by bit, allowing Steve’s story to unfold slowly?
9.) Mr. Sawicki speaks highly of Steve, and Steve writes in his journal that he knows he is not a bad person. What do you think of his character based on his journal and the way he records the events of the courtroom? What mistakes do you think he made, if any? How do you think his perspective on life changes after his arrest?
10.)Steve’s only hope in this trial is that the jury will see him differently than his peers. Does his attorney see him differently from James King, Bobo, and Osvaldo? Why does she refuse to hug him after he is acquitted? How is he different? Is he at all the same?
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