Last Night I Sang to the Monster

Sáenz, B. A. (2009). Last night i sang to the monster. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.

Author Website: Sáenz, B.A. (n.d.). Benjamin Alire Sáenz. Retrieved from http://www.benjaminaliresaenz.com/

Author Info: Sáenz was born in Mexico and he has lived in many countries in Europe. He currently lives in El Paso, Texas and he is a professor there. He has been greatly influenced by the Chicano movement and has seen how racism can tear a man apart. He began writing when he was a Catholic Priest. When he left the Priesthood, he decided to pursue his career in writing. He writes novels, poetry, and short stories. When discussing his book, Sáenz said that he wanted to write a book that was real for kids. He knows some people hate themselves but he wants kids to see that they can also love themselves and open up to adults that love them too.

Review One: [Review of Last night i sang to the monster]. (2009, September 28). Publishers Weekly

I don’t like remembering. Remembering makes me feel things. I don’t like feeling things,” writes Zach as a homework assignment from his therapist at the outset of this psychologically intense novel. Tracing 18-year-old Zach’s somewhat disjointed but utterly candid monologue during his stint at an institution, readers will feel his fear as he remembers the events leading to his hospitalization and meet his “monster,” the unnamed force that appears in his dreams. But breaking through the chaos of Zach’s internal world are two remarkable individuals: his fatherly roommate, Rafael, and therapist, Adam, whose determination to make Zach whole again never falters. Zach’s progress advances in small steps, and there are plenty of setbacks. Fellow patients who have become his friends leave suddenly, and the sadness of other lost souls is nearly too much for Zach. However, the good that comes from his struggles far outweighs the dark moments.

Offering insight into addiction, dysfunction and mental illness, particularly in the wake of traumatic events, Sáenz’s (He Forgot to Say Goodbye) artful rendition of the healing process will not soon be forgotten.

Review Two: [Review of Last night i sang to the monster]. (2009, September 15). School Library Journal

At 18, Zach finds himself in a therapeutic residential program as both an alcoholic and a post-traumatic-stress patient. In evocative and compelling language, Sáenz allows an at-first barely articulate, almost amnesiac Zach to show his progress toward remembering and integrating his past into a present with which he can cope. He is guided along the way by a sympathetic and wise therapist, a middle-aged roommate whose own recovery is on an arc ahead of the youth’s, and several credible and interesting minor characters. The techniques and realities of such a facility are realistic and fully drawn: addicts who gather for cigarettes, nightmares, group sessions, breathing therapy. Sáenz weaves together Zach’s past, present, and changing disposition toward his future with stylistic grace and emotional insight.

This is a powerful and edifying look into both a tortured psyche and the methods by which it can be healed.

Discussion Questions:

1. Create your own journal entry with two pages, one "Things I Know" and the other "Things I Don't Know."

2. Make up your own story ending for Sharkey.

Quote:

pg. 48 "What did being connected to the world get you? It got you sadder. Look, the world is not sane. If you stay connected to an insane world, well, you just go crazy. This is not a complicated theory. It's just simple logic."