The Chocolate War

The Chocolate War
by Robert Cormier

The Chocolate War
List Price: $8.99
Our Price: $4.83
You Save: $4.16 (46%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $3.55 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: Robert Cormier
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-09-14
ISBN: 0375829873
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: Ember

Book Reviews of The Chocolate War

Book Review: THE CHOCOLATE WAR
Summary: 5 Stars

[Warning: spoilers included]

In the Dickens novel NICHOLAS NICKELBY, Nicholas joins a troupe of actors that put on their own version of ROMEO & JULIET which is designed to please the audience and spare them the tragic ending, making sure that EVERYONE lives in the end! Hooray!

As much fun and as funny as that is, it captures a reality that often is not a reflection of reality at all: all of the best stories do not have happy endings. That is, after all, why they are called "tragedies."

Take THE CHOCOLATE WAR for example. It is bleek, ominous, and essentially the first truly tragic modern young adult novel I can think of.

From the opening sentence ("They murdered him") to the painful conclusion, Robert Cormier's masterwork is a lesson in Tone. Almost like being caught in the far-reaches of a whirlpool that slowly brings you in, tricking you into thinking you have some control and are able to extricate yourself from its pull, so too does THE CHOCOLATE WAR bring you in. And as desperate as we readers are to find the protagonist working his way out of the whirlpool, it is, unfortunately, inevitable that he cannot.

This is a truly memorable novel because its tragic theme seems to be harsh, bitter and entirely unrealistic, but, in fact, it is sadly real -- a little reminder that not everyone gets what they deserve; some terrible people are victors in life; and not everyone finds salvation. These lessons are terribly hard to swallow, and impossible for some to accept. For those who dislike the book, I suggest you consider the idea that Cormier, by writing such a different book, has himself "dared to disturb the universe" of young adult novels. Perhaps those who chastise him for such a downer of a book ought to consider themselves similar to the characters in this book who demand that he (Jerry/Cormier) get in line and who wish to bring about the destruction of the nonconformist.

If that weren't enough to warrant a read, Cormier performs another act of bravery as a writer: THE CHOCOLATE WAR, a book clearly meant for teenage boys, reveals an almost complete range of teenage boys that exist in our world. They range from those who rely entirely on their brains to those who never do (or can); there are the arrogant, the fastidious, the cautious, the bold, the fake, the selfish, the scared, the empowered, the weak, the easily-swayed, the failures, the spineless, the metamorphic, the blood-thirsty, and then there's Jerry. Like watching a mouse within a snake's reach, the reader watches Jerry and prays that he survives what seems to be unavoidable -- dear God, intervene and make it not happen! But sometimes, God answers prayers with a "No."

This book is difficult to read, difficult to accept, difficult to embrace...but read it if you dare; accept it if you can; embrace it if you want to grow. It's important that we acknowledge that not every great story ends happily, but every great story IS magnificently told.

Summary of The Chocolate War

IN 1974, AFTER SUFFERING rejections from seven major publishers, The Chocolate War made its debut. An uncompromising portrait of conformity and corruption, it quickly became a bestselling?and provocative?classic for young adults.

?Masterfully structured and rich in theme; the action is well crafted, well timed, suspenseful.??The New York Times Book Review

?The characterizations of all the boys are superb.??School Library Journal, Starred

?Compellingly immediate. . . . Readers will respect the uncompromising ending.??Kirkus Reviews, Starred

An ALA Best Books for Young Adults

A School Library Journal Best Books of the Year

A Kirkus Reviews Choice

A New York Times Outstanding Books of the Year

Does Jerry Renault dare to disturb the universe? You wouldn't think that his refusal to sell chocolates during his school's fundraiser would create such a stir, but it does; it's as if the whole school comes apart at the seams. To some, Jerry is a hero, but to others, he becomes a scapegoat--a target for their pent-up hatred. And Jerry? He's just trying to stand up for what he believes, but perhaps there is no way for him to escape becoming a pawn in this game of control; students are pitted against other students, fighting for honor--or are they fighting for their lives? In 1974, author Robert Cormier dared to disturb our universe when this book was first published. And now, with a new introduction by the celebrated author, The Chocolate War stands ready to shock a new group of teen readers.

Teens Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Teens Books
13 Little Blue Envelopes Image13 Little Blue Envelopes
by Maureen Johnson
HarperTeen; Published: 2005-08-23; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.99
Price in other shops: $16.99
Far North ImageFar North
by Will Hobbs
HarperTeen; Published: 2004-04-13; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.44
Price in other shops: $6.99
Things Fall Apart: With Connections ImageThings Fall Apart: With Connections
by Chinua Achebe
Holt McDougal; Published: 1999-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.36
Price in other shops: $20.53
Holt Physics ImageHolt Physics
by Serway, Faughn
Holt Rinehart & Winston; Published: 2002-01-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $26.90
Price in other shops: $103.40
Pe Holt Physics 99 ImagePe Holt Physics 99
by Raymond A. Serway, Jerry S. Faughn
Saunders College Publishing; Published: 1999; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $25.90
Price in other shops: $63.80
Everyone Knows What a Dragon Looks Like ImageEveryone Knows What a Dragon Looks Like
by Jay Williams
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; Published: 1984-10-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $309.46
Dogsong----INSCRIBED---- ImageDogsong----INSCRIBED----
by Gary Paulsen
Bradbury Press; Published: 1985; Hardcover; Book
White Stallion of Lipizza ImageWhite Stallion of Lipizza
by Marguerite Henry
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; Published: 1994-04-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $176.20
Wings. Aprilynne Pike ImageWings. Aprilynne Pike
by Aprilynne Pike
HarperCollins Children's Books; Published: 2009-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.99
Price in other shops: $15.50
Killers Cousin (Collins Flamingo) ImageKillers Cousin (Collins Flamingo)
by Nancy Werlin
Harpercollins Childs; Published: 2002-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.01
Similar Books and other products
Annie on My Mind ImageAnnie on My Mind
by Nancy Garden
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); Published: 2007-02-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.06
Price in other shops: $8.99
American Born Chinese ImageAmerican Born Chinese
by Gene Luen Yang
Square Fish; Published: 2008-12-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.29
Price in other shops: $9.99
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian ImageThe Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
by Sherman Alexie
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Published: 2009-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.90
Price in other shops: $12.99
I Am the Cheese ImageI Am the Cheese
by Robert Cormier
Knopf Books for Young Readers; Published: 2007-09-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.58
Price in other shops: $8.99
The Outsiders ImageThe Outsiders
by SE Hinton
Puffin Books; Puffin; Published: 2006-04-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.60
Price in other shops: $10.00
Speak (Platinum Edition) ImageSpeak (Platinum Edition)
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Speak; Speak; Published: 2006-04-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.74
Price in other shops: $10.00
Feed ImageFeed
by M.T. Anderson
Candlewick Press; Candlewick; Published: 2004-02-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.34
Price in other shops: $7.99
Weetzie Bat ImageWeetzie Bat
by Francesca Lia Block
HarperTeen; Published: 2004-07-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.87
Price in other shops: $8.99
Forever . . . ImageForever . . .
by Judy Blume
Books; Simon Pulse; Published: 2007-04-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.75
Price in other shops: $8.99
Monster ImageMonster
by Walter Dean Myers
Amistad; Published: 2001-05-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.93
Price in other shops: $8.99