The Chocolate War

The Chocolate War is a fictional young adult novel written by American author Robert Cormier and first published in 1974. Its gritty writing style and gravity-lending mix of fantasy and reality have made it a popular book among young adults, especially boys, for reading both inside and outside school curricula. Set at the fictional Trinity Academy, the story follows protagonist Jerry Renault as he challenges the school's cruel and brutal mob rule.

Related Topics:
Fictional - Young adult - Novel - American - Author - Robert Cormier - 1974

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Due to its content the book was ranked #4 on the ALA's 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990?2000

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Jerry's mother is recently deceased, and the novel describes his loneliness and sexual frustration, which leads him to ponder the quotation, "Do I dare disturb the universe?" Cormier does not, however, believe Jerry is the agent of his own undoing. When Jerry provokes his school's secret society, "the Vigils," by bucking the school's traditional chocolate sale, the ensuing torment, coupled with the apathy of teachers, reveals for the reader an unflattering side of humanity. Jerry is neither made out to be a heroic or a moral person. His character is above all realistic: a normal boy who becomes a tragic hero under certain circumstances. Unlike Lord of the Flies, it is not human nature, but human culture which the author vilifies.

Related Topics:
Quotation - Secret society - Chocolate - Lord of the Flies - Human nature - Human culture

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