I chose this book because i found the first chocolate war to be very interesting and thought i should continue the series. The chocolate war tops 2004 most challenged book list more on the banning of this novel. The chocolate war along with its sequel has been consistently challenged and criticized by schools, libraries, and parents for its language, sexual content, violence, and bleak message. The chocolate war chocolate war, book 1 by robert cormier book cover, description, publication history. The chocolate war is a novel by robert cormier that was first published in 1974.
Masculinity in robert cormiers the chocolate war angel. Set at a fictional catholic high school, the story depicts a secret student organizations manipulation of the. Its pretty nonmemorable and not noteworthy, though i like that it uses chocolate coloring, i guess. Aug 30, 2001 the chocolate war could easily have been a straightforward exercise examining the fears and humiliation of peer pressure, bullying and conformity with a sideorder of positivity and the championing of selfesteem, selfbelief, selfawareness etc, but cormier goes much further in this chillingly human story, full of challenging ideas. But check out this cover for one of the recorded books editions of the book. Jerry renault ponders the question on the poster in his locker. An unpopular boy, brian knows that there is a lot going wrong with the chocolate sale, from fudged numbers to possible embezzlement on leon s behalf, but is too afraid to speak up and risk falling out of leons good graces. The chocolate war the banning of the chocolate war. The best young adult novels of all time, or the chocolate war one more time ted hipple and jennifer l. The chocolate war quiz that tests what you know about important details and events in the book. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on litcharts. It is under perpetual attack because of cormiers negative portrayal of human nature, and because the ending appears hopeless.
The chocolate war paperback tattered cover book store. The vigils, the secret society headed by cold, manipulative senior archie costello, is still going strong. Following jerrys lead, other vigils members and most of the other students join the chocolate boycott. Cormier is most famous for this novel and another called i am the cheese. The chocolate war could easily have been a straightforward exercise examining the fears and humiliation of peer pressure, bullying and conformity with a sideorder of positivity and the championing of selfesteem, selfbelief, selfawareness etc, but cormier goes much further in this chillingly human story, full of challenging ideas.
At the same time, the book was cited as the best young adult book at the 1975 national council of english teachers convention. The chocolate war by robert cormier overdrive rakuten. I saved the best cover to be the last one because i want you to look at it and think about it for a good long minute. Instant downloads of all 1297 litchart pdfs including the chocolate war. Ab out the book one of the most controversial ya novels of all time, the chocolate war is a modern masterpiece that speaks to fans of s. In 1974, author robert cormier dared to disturb our universe when this book was first published. Jerry renault, a freshman at trinity high school, has a confrontation with the school gang, the vigils. Jerry is the protagonist of the story and is a strong willed, yet lonely, freshman at trinity high school. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. The book chocolate war is not only a book about good and evil but it deals a lot with power struggle among the groups. While the book could have gone with a happy ending, cormier wrote a more realistic. The chocolate war by martin walker is a short story a bruno, chief of police story. The chocolate war, brent fraser, wallace langham, ilan mitchellsmith, doug hutchison, john glover duration. Beyond the chocolate war continues the story from the end of chocolate war.
Design book cover for free with online templates adobe spark. The chocolate war is a great novel i think that it should be available for any student to read can anyone find any reference to chocolate war, beyond the chocolate war, and i am the cheese being called a trilogy by any critic. His many books include the chocolate war, i am the cheese, fade, tenderness, after the first death, heroes, frenchtown summer, and the rag and bone shop. One of his duties is to patrol and secure its weekly market every tuesday morning. The age range reflects readability and not necessarily content appropriateness. An eyecatching design can make the difference between a book that sells and one that stalls, so dont let your future bestseller get passed over due to a soso cover design.
After suffering rejection from seven major publishers, the chocolate war made its debut in 1974, and quickly became a bestsellingand provocativeclassic. The longawaited sequel to the chocolate war, a novel that made publishing history with its uncompromising portrayal of the misuse of power and its victims. The chocolate war by robert cormier 2000 paperback ebay. Robert cormiers the chocolate war, is a book of intense magnification into the dark side of human nautre. Vicious and violent mob cruelty in a boys prep school is not a new theme but cormier makes it compellingly immediate in this novel of trinity high, a boys day school with the close, concentrated, selfcontained atmosphere of a boarding school, temporarily headed by the venomous, manipulating brother leon and unofficially run by powerobsessed senior archie costello, the ingeniously audacious. A young student in a boys catholic school refuses to participate in a school fundraiser as a matter of principle, leading to violent confrontations with his classmates and with the merciless. Edwards award, honoring his lifetime contribution to writing for teens. The book is a constant barrage of sexual references, perversion, pain, violence, mind games, greed, power, and corruption.
The chocolate war book cover in 1988, the chocolate war was challenged by a middle school principal in west hernando, fl, who. This study guide consists of approximately 28 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the chocolate war. The chocolate war was an enjoyable read, because the novel tells it how it is. Read about some of the challenges to the chocolate war. One of the most controversial ya novels of all time, the chocolate war is a modern masterpiece that speaks to fans of s. Its primary setting is trinity high school where a secret society called the vigils exists. Front cover of robert cormiers the chocolate war its 1. The chocolate war did, however, garner early praise from educators and the national council of teachers of english, which at its 1975 convention had speakers calling it watergate at the high school level, the best ya young adult book to come out within the last half dozen years, and a book deserving defenders nilsen.
And now, with a new introduction by the celebrated author, the chocolate war stands ready to shock a new group of teen readers. The chocolate war jerry renault archie costello brother leon book cover jerry renault. Teach your students to analyze literature like litcharts does. Parents need to know that the chocolate war remains one of the best books for teens when it comes to examining moral issues. Robert cormier 19252000 changed the face of young adult literature over the course of his illustrious career. A new student must submit to the bizarre rituals of his peers and the expectations of the schools administration by selling chocolates. These assignments vary, depending on the person, and intend to inflict as much psychological injury as possible. Robert cormiers the chocolate war, for example, is often regarded as one of the best young adult books ever written, but for me, the chocolate war is a homophobic and misogynistic book, set in 1970s in allboys catholic high schoolwhich m. The book raises deep questions of good, evil, independence, and compliance. The chocolate war is a young adult novel by american author robert cormier. A surreal portrait of a catholic private school and its hierarchy. Instead of doing as hes told, jerry does what no one else has ever done before. Cormier explained in an interview that he was interested in.
Good struggles to ward evil powers away from them and from giving in to the temptations of evil. Brent david fraser, sacramental life church steward recommended for you. The chocolate war is one of the most censored books in america. The chocolate war project gutenberg selfpublishing.
At the end of the ten days, however, jerry still refuses to sell the chocolate. The chocolate war is a young adult novel by robert comier. The chocolate war chocolate war, book 1 by robert cormier. There are two violent scenes, and rebellion is a major theme, but. The antagonist, archie costello, is part of the group, and he is notorious for giving out assignments to other students that usually do physical or psychological harm to. Brother leon, the slimy teacher who has become archies quasipartner in. As brother leon beats jerry in front of the class, the boy fantasizes about his mothers death and about having a love affair with a female recluse named lisa. The chocolate war by cormier, first edition abebooks. The vigils want to ruin archies reputation before the school ends, but theyre plans backfire on them. I was going to wait and write about it in the morning, but i really need to engage in the cathartic process of writing in order to make sense. The chocolate war by robert cormier 2000 paperback. The chocolate war is a good book, but read it with caution, especially if you have a problem with profanity.
Jerry renault finds himself pitted against this dark side of mans nautre and must struggle just to survive. Very good very good first edition first printing 1985 dust jacket in mylar cover. Brother leon, the acting headmaster, and archie costello, the leader of a secret student society called the vigils. The chocolate war was written and published in 1974 by american author robert cormier 19252000. The chocolate war portrays the story of a freshman by the name of jerry renault attending trinity high school. I was going to wait and write about it in the morning, but i really need to engage in the cathartic process of writing in order to make sense of all of the thoughts that are fireworking in my head. Cadbury is a successful historian, and a relative of the family that gave its name to one of the worlds bestselling brands of chocolate, and thus should be in a position to tell us whether, for. The vigils give different boys assignments that they must carry out. May 24, 2012 the chocolate war, brent fraser, wallace langham, ilan mitchellsmith, doug hutchison, john glover duration. May 14, 20 the cover on the left is for one of the bindup editions out in the 2000s, so it includes both the chocolate war and beyond the chocolate war.
The school is run by a group of teenagers known as the vigils. May 16, 20 this cover is almost kind of cartoonish to me, though i do think it reads as a teen book. Freshman jerry renault is trying to make his way at trinity high, a boys prep school run by two despots. This cover is almost kind of cartoonish to me, though i do think it reads as a teen book. The book first published in 1974, and its remained in print since then, with a number of different cover designs. With john glover, ilan mitchellsmith, wallace langham, doug hutchison. Mar 12, 1985 i chose this book because i found the first chocolate war to be very interesting and thought i should continue the series. Even though weve all been told since childhood to never judge a book by its cover, the fact is that book cover design does attract readers. Discuss the objections to the book, and think about how cormier disturbed the universe by writing the novel. Sparknotes is here for you with everything you need to ace or teach. The chocolate war by robert cormier, paperback barnes.
His many books include the chocolate war, i am the cheese, fade, tenderness, after the first death, heroes, frenchtown summer, and the rag and bone. Jan 04, 2014 front cover of robert cormiers the chocolate war its 1. Hintons the outsiders and john knowless a separate peace. Jul, 2004 one of the most controversial ya novels of all time, the chocolate war is a modern masterpiece that speaks to fans of s.
The chocolate war tells the story of jerry renault, a freshman at trinity, an allboys catholic high school. What boy in the chocolate war spends any time with a girl. There are two violent scenes, and rebellion is a major theme, but i like it it gives you a chance to think. First published in 1974, it was adapted into a film in 1988. The vigils, headed by archie costello, specialize in making assignments that other students have to complete. After suffering rejection from seven major publishers, the chocolate war made its debut in 1974, and quickly became a bestsellingand provocativeclassic for young adults. I cant, and until someone does, im deleting that sentence. The meaning of the chocolate war is complex and, for many readers, depressingthe makers of the 1989 film of the novel created a more upbeat endingbut it is an important novel for young. The chocolate war is a popular young adult book by robert cormier and it is about how a young teenage boy named jerry renault refuses to sell chocolates at his school, trinity and how he faces some hardships from brother leon and the vigils because of his defiance.