Man Made Monsters by Andrea Rogers

 

Man Made Monsters

March 13th, 2024

Man Made Monsters by Andrea Rogers, 2022, Horror, 315 pages

2023 Walter Award (Teen Category) Winner

Have you ever had the feeling that something just not quite right? Your hands begin to sweat, the hair on the back of your neck begins to prickle. Andrea Roger's Man Made Monsters is a collection of horror stories that follows a Cherokee family down through generations. From 1839 in Indian territory all the way to 2039, readers get a front row seat to creatures from Cherokee legends, as well as vampires, zombies, werewolves, ghosts, aliens, and more! Each unique chapter of varying length leaves readers wondering what is more terrifying: creatures of the night, or our own man made horrors? 

Honestly, the first reason I chose to read the book was because the cover art is absolutely stunning. I then found out it was not only a collection of short horror stories, but it was also written by a citizen of the Cherokee Nation following the generations of a Cherokee family. I'm a big fan of horror stories and know that is lacking in my classroom library. My hope was to find a new thrilling novel for my students with representation of Native Americans as well. 

Teaching and Content Considerations:

I believe Man Made Monsters would work best as an independent reading book, as a read aloud, or as a selection of texts for a short story unit. Although middle schoolers and high schoolers could read this collection of short stories, I think students in high school would find it more interesting. Rogers' more mature writing style and older, teenage characters lends itself to a bit more mature audience. Students who are a fan of horror, who are interested in Cherokee culture, or prefer to read short stories will certainly find some favorites among Rogers' various tales. 

Instructional Ideas

Short Story Unit: One way to utilize this book in an ELA classroom would be to pull a few stories to read and analyze during a short story unit. This would be particularly engaging if teachers had a short story unit around Halloween with a "horror" theme; even more, teachers could pull short stories that are reflective of a variety of different cultures, not just American. Like many short story units, students would be able to practice analyzing narrative elements depending on which story is read! For instance, students could learn about the use of foreshadowing and irony in the short story "American Predators" where the main character is eventually killed by a werewolf after reading a book called "The Howling."

Cherokee Spiritual Beliefs: Rogers begins her book with a powerful prelude about Cherokee spiritual beliefs when it comes to birth, death, and the balance of the world. Teachers could teach a lesson on the spiritual beliefs of the Cherokee Nation and how it is reflected in the novel. Furthermore, the prelude mentions that there are consequences for violating the principles of balance. Students could read select chapters and discuss what aspect of balance was disrupted and what were the consequences for it. 

Narrative Writing: The majority of Rogers' short stories are left on cliff hangers. One fun way to have engage students in emulating Rogers' writing style and practice using narrative techniques on their own would be to choose a story to which they would create their own ending. On the other hands, teachers could take it one step further by providing students with a list of creatures from Cherokee myths. Students would have to select at least one creature to research and create their own short story with a clear plot development, character development, theme, dialogue, and imagery. As every student loves a challenge, teachers could have students blindly read each other's stories and vote on the top three "best" short stories.

Possible Read Aloud Passages

• Prelude: Cherokee speakers view the world as a large room that one enters by one door at birth and exits by another at death...In the Cherokee view there must be consequences for violating the principles that hold everything together in balance."
• Excerpt from "Reading History: Cherokee History through a Cherokee Lens." Readers will find this belief and theme quite essential to understanding Rogers' quilt of horror stories. 
• Page 115 (could extend to 118): "The girls across the street say a man hung himself in my parents' bedroom before they bought the house. My parents say those girls are liars. Mama says this house isn't haunted, but of course it is, or I wouldn't be telling you this story..."
• In this short story called "Snow Day," Sissy and her younger sister find themselves locked out of the library and their own house on an incredibly cold snow day. Sissy tells the nerve-wracking tale of how she saw a ghost on this day.
• Pages 157-158: "'It sounded liked a chain. It's coming from that back room.' Billy gestures toward a dark corner of the cellar. The sound of a chain being dragged across the floor is clearly audible once there is silence. Then, there is a long, haunting howl."
• In "American Predators," Jamie is hired to drive around and help film scenes for two American treasure hunters for their television show American Scavengers. In reality, these two men prey upon collectors of vintage items and sell them for a higher profit. After disrespecting a Cherokee family, the three characters find themselves locked in a basement with a terrifying creature. 
• Page 290: "It was time to use the defense plan we had practiced regularly for a year after fleeing my father...Before I went to my sister, I peered out through the peephole. Old Bob had shuffled across a long field and crossed the road that separated our properties. He had that fresh-dead look...Old Bob was the first zombie to wander up to our door since the power grid went down."
• In "The Zombies Attack the Drive-In!" Charlotte (Charlie) and her family are living in a world over run by zombies after a Zombie-flu outbreak. This passage provides readers with a glimpse of what Charlie's daily life is like...until zombies begin to destroy those closest to her.

Thoughts and Reflections

I have to begin by saying how absolutely stunning the illustrations are by Jeff Edwards at the start of each new story. Each illustration is drawn in white on a black backdrop, giving reads a slight into at what might occur in each unique tale. To be candid, I really wanted to like the first half of Man Made Monsters more than I did; I struggled to get into the stories in the beginning and was very intent on following the family tree. As the stories progressed, I "let go" of the tree and really found myself enjoying them more. However, I also believe some of the best stories are in the middle to end of this novel--especially "Ama's Boys," "American Predators," "I Come the Water," and "Zombies Attack the Drive-In!" I admire how frequently Rogers could run a chill up my spine; in some stories, the actions of humans were truly the most horrifying parts to swallow. However, Rogers ultimately ends her horror stories with an incredibly powerful acknowledgment of Cherokee culture and the prelude from the beginning of the text. 

After reading Man Made Monsters, I would love to learn more about Cherokee stories and the creatures that inspired some of Rogers' stories! After doing so, I would be enticed to reread some of these stories to see if I have a great appreciation for how Rogers integrated them in often times modern settings.