The Chocolate War
by Robert Cormier

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Book Summary Information

• ISBN13: 9780440944591
• Condition: New
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Book Reviews of The Chocolate War

Book Review: Great Book!
Summary: 5 Stars

Stunned by his mother's recent Death and appalled by the way his father sleepwalks through life, Jerry Renault, a New England high school student ponders the poster in his locker- Do I dare disturb the universe? Part of his Universe is Archie Costello, a leader of a secret school society, the Vigils, and master of intimidation. Archie himself is intimidated by a cool, ambitious teacher into having the Vigils spearhead the annual fund-raising event, a chocolate sale. When Jerry refuses to be bullied into selling chocolates, he becomes a hero, but his defiance is a threat to Archie, the Vigils, and the school. In the inevitable showdown, Archie's skill at intimidation turns Jerry from a hero to outcast, to victim, leaving him alone and terribly vulnerable.

The plot is very intriguing and uses graphic writing that is shocking to read. "The exhilaration of the moment vanished and he sought it in vain, like seeking ecstasy's memory an instant after jacking off and encountering only shame and guilt." This quote is when he is thinking about his mothers painful death. It is one example of Robert Cormier's shocking language. Through out the book he uses profanity, derogatory sexual comments, and talk of masturbation. All the language however, is common throughout high school, but is usually not commented on. The theme of The Chocolate War, is brought out by the question, "Do I dare disturb the universe?" The whole story is about falling into the trap of conformity. Conformity rules the world and there needs to be someone in every society to break conformity. An example of the theme is the book. The book is breaking conformity by having a graphic unhappy ending. Critics of the book are mostly people that are only content with happy endings. The ending of the novel is one reason why The Chocolate War has been banned by number of elementary and junior high schools. Everyday we have to choose whether to conform or not. Robert Cormier's writing style is easy to read. For the most part he uses vocabulary that is basic and at a high school reading level. He does not use large, complicated, "beat around the bush" wording and is straight to the point, utilizing easy to understand similes and metaphors. His writing style is very true. He writes just the way my high school acted and talked. The Chocolate War is an great novel that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It depicts high school life, so people in high school can relate to the story, and people out of high school will understand the story because they have experienced it. The novel has many twists in each chapter that will pull anyone in, so you want more. The Chocolate War will have pulled you in so much by the end, that you will be craving for more. I guess the next thing to do is to read Beyond the Chocolate War.

Summary of The Chocolate War

Literature & Fiction Books

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• Teens > Literature & Fiction