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"Do I dare disturb the universe?"

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Jerry Renault is just your typical fourteen-year-old freshman (and football player) at a private Catholic high school minding his own business when, one day, a gang of student thugs called The Vigils task him with refusing to sell chocolates for the annual fundraiser. Brother Leon, a no-nonsense, obnoxious teacher doubles the usual candy order, then requires that the students take on the task of selling them (50 boxes each) willingly by requiring them to "accept" the chocolates during a daily roll call. Day after day, Jerry replies "No" to the question of whether he will accept his boxes and the task of selling, leaving Brother Leon livid. But after the order is rescinded Jerry continues his act of defiance. To save face, the Vigils go on a chocolate selling spree and start tormenting Jerry through prank calls and other mischief, including spreading a rumor that he is gay. It all comes to a head at an event involving an unusually-themed raffle. The message seems to be - bullying is bad. But I expected more from a book whose jacket's contention is that it's a "groundbreaking novel." Better: The Lord of the Flies by William Golding, A Separate Peace by John Knowles, and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.

Fighting the good fight

Customer Rating:

Hyperboles, symbolism, style, point of view, etc. Many young people do not care...but after 8 years teaching 8th grade, as well as reading the book myself for the first time in 1989, the same age as my current students, the book changed me. Not back then, I merely worshipped the words, that gorgeous writing style characteristic of Cormier, blending splendid imagery, realistic, simple language, and vibrant sensory detail with a dark tone of corrupt despairity that leaves the reader to question whether or not good exists anywhere in this world, an all too real world, in which we expect our young people to be as "conscientious" and "respectful" and "vanilla" as kids were when people trusted community with little reservation: religious figures,policemen, doctors, firemen, teachers, etc. Should our children harbor a similar sense of complacency? What shall they do in regard to "respecting authority" when they witness countless acts of violence and cruelty in the media? All they CAN DO is supress fear and act as if they don't care. How does a young person find her/his place in the universe without disturbing it? A personal revolution is essential for one to discover, process, and begin to develop sense of self and a reason to just be... I wrote to an earlier poseter that... Cormier didn't get it backward; however, your questions and comments are so literal, you may have missed the point. "Fighting the good fight" IS important for students to discuss; I have yet to meet a person, young or old, who can't relate to this theme in some way. Additionally, I haven't found a novel that demonstrates with such raw vulnerability the possible repurcussions when one does not choose her/his battles wisely? Jerry wasn't fighting for chocolate, but rather relied on the experience OF FEELING SOMETHING, other than dullness and pain. Otherwise, we teach students to later view satires like "The Lottery" with a literal lense, and before we know it, they develop "blind faith" and unswerving obedience to authority even when it defies Western, Eastern, and personal morality. Such scapegoating and cowardice lead to the Holocaust... As a teacher, I exist to witness one more student recognize what it's worth to sense the difference, that brief moment when one must decide whether to persist in the fight or humbly seek advice from an adult who is WORTH emulating, and then walk away...bones intact. My students don't want Jerry's fate. And they appreciate a good tragic hero.

Catcher in the Rye meets the Lords of Discipline - Great Audio Version

Customer Rating:

Robert Cormier's cynical, sardonic, nihilistic language in the Chocolate War evokes Catcher in Rye. The story itself shares many of the same tensions and violence of Pat Conroy's Lords of Discipline. This is beyond a young reader's book. It has an edgy tension that will captivate all generations. Jerry Renault is a fine protagonist, somehow winning in spirit, even in despair. Archie Costello is an equally compelling villain - somehow apathetic and resigned, even in victory. I listened to the Chocolate War unabridged on CD, narrated by George Guidall. Guidall gives a commanding and forceful performance, bringing tension and teenage fragility to all the fine characters.

Chocolate War	Customer Rating:
The book arrived in good time and was in good condition. I liked the book but the only reason I read it was to see why it is protested every school year by over sensitive parents. It is a book that even now can relate to pre-teen/teen boys.

principle before action

Customer Rating:

Supposedly, this is a young adult classic, but honestly, I'm not sure why. It's just not very good. Sure, it's controversial (the characters swear and think about masturbation a lot), but that's not a good enough reason for it to keep being assigned in schools. Also, I think the thing that should make the book controversial is its portrayal of gross cruelty by students and certain teachers. Not that I'm worried that kids will suddenly become cruel just by reading this book (those who are going to be cruel tend to come by it naturally, after all), but if we're worried about exposing children to unsavory things, it ought to cruelty for it's own sake. But what I really didn't like about this book was that although we're told there's a principle behind the actions of Jerry, who refuses to sell the chocolates, we're never told what the principle is. There's some suggestion that Jerry himself isn't really sure what his principle is, but in the context of the book, that's just not good enough. It all started when Jerry is "assigned" by the Vigils (the school's student secret society, which doesn't actually seem to be much of a secret to anyone) to refuse to sell the chocolates for 10 days. He does (there's no suggestion that he even thinks about refusing the "assignment") but then continues to refuse to sell the chocolates after the 10 days are up, even after he gets another "assignment" that he start selling the chocolates. But why does he continue to refuse? Is it something about the chocolate sale itself, or is it about defying the Vigils? We don't know. The action of defiance seems to be more important than the principle behind it. I think Cormier got it backward.