The first book I read was Monster by Walter Dean Myers. The book is written in the first-person from the point of view of an African-American high school student from Harlem, accused of taking part in the murder of a convenience store owner. The book is written as a movie script that flashes between scenes in the courtroom and prior to Steve's (the protragonist) arrest.

I was talking about this book with my mother, a former Madison elementary principal, and years ago, she was designated to show Walter Dean Myers around Madison when he was here on a lecture circuit (or something like that, I don't actually remember).

Either way, after seeing downtown Madison, Myers asked my mother, "Where are the ghettos?" This story doesn't really go anywhere other than an interesting question posed by a famous author, but it got me thinking about how I would teach this book in a classroom, especially one in Madison.

I think this book would be perfect to pair with a community service project of some kind, perhaps after researching an issue with crime or other community issues that students could address. Although most of our future students will not be on trial for murder, many will certainly come from underserved communities, and therefore will identify at least in part with this protagonist. It seems like a perfect opportunity to get students involved in the community. What do you all think? Are there any sorts of activities that jump out at you after reading this book?