Review Detail

Reader reviewed by HHS E12A B4

This review of The
Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier, is written by five high school seniors as
an independent reading assignment for our 12^th grade English class.

At
first, the book was a little overwhelming as it seemed to jump back and forth
and new characters were always being introduced. This made it difficult to follow. Until about halfway through the book, it was
hard to understand what was truly occurring. However, after that point, it was easy to follow yet action packed and
thought provoking.

This
novel was the first of many for Robert Cormier. Other popular works by Cormier include I am the Cheese, After
the First Death, and We All Fall Down. The Chocolate War is his most
well-known, yet all the previously mentioned have won awards. His work is very controversial, often due to
vulgarity, profanity, and the fact that the protagonist usually doesnt win.

In
the novel, Jerry Renault is thrown into Trinity High School
with the question, Do I dare disturb the universe? It seems as though everyone is trying to
influence him as he prepares to start a new life at a new high school, shortly
after the death of his mother. The grasp
of the schools secret society, the Vigils, will have a greater impact on his
life than he would ever imagine.

The
book was very easy to relate to due to the situations that were brought up such
as peer pressure, bullying, and longing for power. Some may consider the language offensive,
however, it was a very realistic high school setting. Although there were many different
characters, they were all very well developed and presented in a believable
way.

As
a whole, we would recommend this book to anyone wanting insight into the true
life of a high school student. Understand that the book may be offensive to some, yet the vulgarity is
necessary to portray high school life accurately. The books ability to relate to real life is
unbelievable. Even the most minute
details that many overlook truthfully enhance the reading experience. So if you dare disturb the universe, this is
a book for you.