The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
My biggest mistake was assuming that The Chocolate War would be a humorous book, much like The Wednesday Wars
I don’t remember what prompted me to put this book on my list, but I wish I did remember so I could smack myself for thinking it. This is the story of Jerry and how he stands up against a secret society in his private, Catholic school. There’s examples of mischief and brutality spread throughout the book and it makes me wonder why anyone would actually recommend this story to a young boy (Classroom 19 anyone?).
Overall, I was disappointed by the story and it didn’t do anything for me personally.
It’s bleak, but I think The Chocolate War is completely worth reading. What stands out to me about this book is the way the theme stands in contrast to so many young adult books that encourage teens just to be themselves. It was difficult to read, but only because of how realistically the boys treated each other, and how realistically the adults fed that dynamic. What sets The Chocolate War apart is Cormier’s insistence on the futility of resisting the status quo. Rather than learning the lesson that “you should just be yourself,” Cormier recognizes that teenagers often must submit to the social hierarchy around them, or be beaten into submission. It’s a classic YA book for a reason – students recognize themselves in the dynamic.
(I also don’t think it’s fair to criticize the book for not being funny when it never said it was going to be anything other than what it is.)
With my background though, it just didn’t make sense to me. Granted, I lived a very sheltered life and being home-schooled never really had to submit to any sort of social hierarchy that would be why I didn’t get that message out of it. I can appreciate that message though, it just wasn’t a book I could relate to on any level.
(And that part was just my way of thinking and did not relate to my rating at all. It wasn’t a criticism, just a mistake that I had made when looking at the cover and reading the summary on the back. It wasn’t what I expected)