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The Chocolate War (Chocolate War #1)

3.45 of 5 stars 3.45 · rating details · 19,401 ratings · 1,466 reviews

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, leader of a secret school societ-the Virgils-and master of intimidation.Archie himself is intimidated by a cool, ambitious...more

Paperback, 263 pages

Published August 1st 1986 by Laurel Leaf (first published 1974)

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Oct 31, 2007 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is one of my favorite books. I never read it as a kid, but I've read it several times now as an adult and it's still so beautiful. The writing is stark and concise, and so is the story, which is one of the most difficult plots to describe. This is one of those where you talk about the theme more than the actual story: "It's the best book about good and evil that exists," you tell someone, after trying to outline a chocolate sale at a religious boy's school that ends in a sadistic boxing fig...more

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Jan 22, 2009 Apryl rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: byu-lit-class

This book is one of the most censored books in the country for young adults. I read it for my censorship lesson for my lit class and I was honestly frightened of what I would find but it was easily one of the most haunting and well-written books I have ever read. Cormier is a genius of writing with layers. It's a deceptively easy read; easy in that I finished it in 2 days, deceptive in that I could read it again and come away reading something different.

Brother Leon is truly evil. His example w...more

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Nov 13, 2008 Ashley rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I know this is considered important juv. lit. and amazing, but I disliked it very much. I can recognize that the whole point was to make you hate the fact that there is evil in the world and even you can become desensitized or mentally manipulated (the author is manipulating the reader, overall, and wants the reader to finally recognize it and question it at the end). However, this book portrays women as nothing but sex-objects (only briefly bringing women or girls into the picture for this purp...more

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Mar 12, 2009 Ms. Liebman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Reading this for/with the 8th grade. Mrs. LeVasseur had a pile of them and she highly recommended it. "Sure!" I says.

SO now I'm well more than half way and fascinated. I keep thinking that it's some big analogy for government and democracies or maybe the school is Russia and it's about communism. I'll have to check when it was written.

And now that I'm finished with it...let me continue my review:

I'm really surprised by the complexity of the characters. It reminds me of Watchmen in a way because...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Allison rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Allison Freeman

APA Citation:

Cormier, R. (2000). The Chocolate War. New York: Dell-Laurel Leaf.

Genre: Controversial/Banned

Format: Print

Selection Process: ALA’s List of 25 Most Challenged Books 2000-2009

Review:
Jerry Renault is asked to join the Vigils, a secret society or peer group (gang) at Trinity School for boys. The task he must finish to become one of the Vigils, he must say "No" to selling chocolates for 10 days. Brother Leon is infuriated by his refusal and many of the boys at the school f...more Allison Freeman

APA Citation:

Cormier, R. (2000). The Chocolate War. New York: Dell-Laurel Leaf.

Genre: Controversial/Banned

Format: Print

Selection Process: ALA’s List of 25 Most Challenged Books 2000-2009

Review:
Jerry Renault is asked to join the Vigils, a secret society or peer group (gang) at Trinity School for boys. The task he must finish to become one of the Vigils, he must say "No" to selling chocolates for 10 days. Brother Leon is infuriated by his refusal and many of the boys at the school feel the same till they find out it is part of the Vigils hazing ritual. The Vigils, Carter, the president of the Vigils, and Archie, the Assigner of tasks, did not intend was for Jerry to continue saying "No" to selling the chocolates. From that point on Brother Leon, Archie, Carter, the rest of the Vigils and a bully named Janza set out to destroy Jerry socially, physically and psychologically. Jerry's locker is defaced, sneakers destroyed, class assignments stolen, prank calls and a total smack down by Janza at the end of the book during a raffle fight for Jerry’s fifty boxes of chocolates that he refused to sell. One of the other Brothers finds out about the fight in enough time to stop the fight before Janza kills Jerry but not before Jerry is sent to the hospital for his horrible injuries. In the end, Brother Leon was not reprimanded for his part in the whole affair, Archie continues to play his games in the Vigils underworld, and Janza is still a bully. Jerry Renault was the one character that had the courage to stand up to The Vigils, the notorious peer group/gang that ruled the school. Unfortunately, there is no justice or reward for Jerry’s efforts except an extended stay in the hospital when he fought the majority and lost. Robert Cormier brought attention to the issue of bullying and gangs to the forefront of his audiences minds with a cast of bad boys and a truly sinister ruler in Brother Leon, who was determined to aid his followers in the killing of an innocent boy to claim is dominance over his small private school domain. The men and boys of this story showcased the best and the worst characteristics imaginable in a suspenseful and disturbing portrayal of the power of the mob. The book contains violence and course language, which has contributed greatly to the books banned/controversial status. This book contains content for mature audiences and is best suited for older young adults. Do Not Recommend. Grades 8+
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Jul 02, 2011 Darlyn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

MY BLOG: Your Move, Dickens

I absolutely loved this book, which isn’t surprising since it reminded me of John Green’s novels. John Green is ONE OF MY FAVORITE WRITERS. Now, Cormier and Green are two completely different writers, but Cormier’s use of the T.S. Eliot line ‘Do I dare disturb the universe?’ reminded me of John Green’s use of literary references in his novels. Cormier only used a single line from The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, but what a perfect line it is. It summed up the novel...more

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May 22, 2011 Adam Wilson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier is in my top five favorite novels of all time and is definitely the best book I have read this year so far. The book shows us the cruelty of people and the amazing power of intimidation both by students and by teachers. The story concerns a Catholic school for boys which embarks on a massive chocolate sale mainly controlled by Brother Leon, who uses what he calls school spirit to try and get the students to sell all 20,000 boxes. Jerry, our young protagonist,...more

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Feb 17, 2009 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-reads, library, series

Here's the deal people, yesterday I was heating up my lunch in the kitchenette at work and had this book with me (because I was planning to read during lunch) and another woman asks me what the book is about. I tell her it's the story of this kid who refuses to sell chocolates at his high school, and then I realize that this sounds like the stupidest book in the world--why would anyone care about reading about fund-raising? I'll tell you why ladies and gentleman--because this book isn't about a...more Here's the deal people, yesterday I was heating up my lunch in the kitchenette at work and had this book with me (because I was planning to read during lunch) and another woman asks me what the book is about. I tell her it's the story of this kid who refuses to sell chocolates at his high school, and then I realize that this sounds like the stupidest book in the world--why would anyone care about reading about fund-raising? I'll tell you why ladies and gentleman--because this book isn't about a chocolate sale, it's about peer pressure, conformity, and the difference that one individual can make in any given situation.

Cormier's novel is brilliant--the dialogue and writing regarding perceptions of others' motivations is sharp and incisive. Cormier writes in third person and allows us to glimpse into the minds and hearts of characters with a myriad of motivations. Most remarkable is how nearly everyone who is an antagonist in this story (Archie and the school bully Emile Janza) use their manipulation and intimidation as a facade to hide their true personalities. The only antagonist we don't get to look inside is Brother Leon, but we're given some backstory on his motivations that is interesting.

What I appreciate about the antagonists in this story is that Cormier is unflinching in their evil--he doesn't "clean them up" in the end, they don't learn their lesson, they actually come out completely unscathed. That's a hard pill for someone like me, an eternal optimist who believes there must be something redeeming in everyone, to swallow. It makes me think about what Cormier's psychology of society must have been like, and how that affected his life. Which leads me to realize that there are people out there who have a different definition of the total depravity of man, and to consider how that influences them and their dealings with me. (I love a story that makes me think about life and interactions, which is why The Chocolate War is so much more than a story about a chocolate sale.)

There is one primary protagonist (Jerry Renault) in this story, but there are other characters who try to defy the corruption on their own level--two of the Vigils (Obie and Carter) try to impact the Universe as does Jerry's friend, the Goober, in his own way. Again, we're learning about psychology here, folks--you may not be leading the revolution, but we can all do our part to fight corruption and evil in the world. At the least, we can refuse to participate in mistreatment. I'm not talking high-and-lofty stuff like the situation in Darfur here (although that's necessary), I'm talking about the way you view others, how you judge the people you work/live/learn with and how your pre-conceived notions of their motivations and backstory influence the way you treat them. If anything, Cormier wants us to learn that we don't know why people do the things they do, what has happened in their past, and we need to develop connections with people before making unfounded assumptions about their value or worth as an individual. Pretty cool stuff for a story about candy, eh?

This story was deep and rich (kind of like the best-tasting chocolates coincidentally), and the characters were so well constructed. I wonder at the end what happens to Emile, Obie and Carter, but I don't get my answers and, surprisingly, that's okay with me.

I had to give an A rating, rather than A+, because I can't be a hypocrite... if you don't know what that's in reference to, check out my review of Looking for Alaska, and read paragraphs 4 and 5 about the language in this book. I hate to do it, but I have to for the sake of consistency. (less)

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Jun 14, 2008 . r a c h a b e t h . rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: uh for once i have no idea. no one.

Recommended to . r a c h a b e t h . by: for high school english. yay.

Shelves: for-school, anti-recs, novels, young-adult

Oh god. You know? I honestly wish I could remember cool things from high school English, but whenever my roommate and I embark down memory lane, all I whine about is this book. What can I say about "The Chocolate War?" (Spoilers ahead, folks!)

It stinks. No seriously. Jerry's musings about "disturbing the universe" (poor T.S. Eliot) put me to sleep and I honestly couldn't wait for the school's secret society to knock the ever lovin' crap out of him. I may also be missing some grand message, but I...more

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Apr 24, 2008 Nova rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library-materials

The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier, takes place in a Catholic prep school for boys. The main character is Jerry Renault, a freshman who is dealing with the recent death of his mother. Not only has Jerry’s mother died, but his father has become very depressed and is unable to help Jerry through this difficult time. When school starts Jerry puts everything he has into making it on the football team, and things seem to be going well until the lead member of the school’s secret society, The Vigils...more The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier, takes place in a Catholic prep school for boys. The main character is Jerry Renault, a freshman who is dealing with the recent death of his mother. Not only has Jerry’s mother died, but his father has become very depressed and is unable to help Jerry through this difficult time. When school starts Jerry puts everything he has into making it on the football team, and things seem to be going well until the lead member of the school’s secret society, The Vigils, singles him out for a difficult assignment. Archie, the ring leader of The Vigils, decides that Jerry must refuse to sell chocolates for the big school fundraiser, in order to stay out of trouble with the dangerous secret society. When Jerry refuses to sell the chocolates Brother Leon, a cruel and frightening teacher at the school, makes things very uncomfortable for Jerry.
The theme of this novel is depicted plainly by the quote on the poster in Jerry’s locker; do I dare disturb the universe? Jerry is dealing with the depression at home, and with the realization that most of the teachers and the students at his school are bad people. When The Vigils tell Jerry that his assignment is over and that he can now sell the chocolates, Jerry performs an act of rebellion in the school and still refuses to sell the chocolates. It is at this point that things really begin to fall a part for Jerry, and he is subjected to fierce bullying by classmates and teachers because of his rebellion. The most difficult thing about this novel is that it ends on such a desperate note. Jerry has been broken by The Vigil, and the members get by with no punishment. Robert Cormier writes a follow up to this story called Beyond the Chocolate War, but I have not read it. I am interested to see if justice is served in the sequel.

I think this is the kind of story that speaks to high school students during a trying time in their life. Unfortunately, many students would find the fact that the bullies go unpunished quite realistic. This story could be used in a high school English class for a novel study, and would also be a great book to recommend to individual readers. Even though I think girls could be interested in the characters, this book seems like it is really meant for male readers. Boys and men dominate this story; women serve only as sexual objects of desire, not real people.
This book was published in 1974 and from the beginning it has faced opposition. The Chocolate War has been challenged because of sexual content, inappropriate language, and violence. I though the language and violence was fairly mild, but throughout the story masturbation is alluded to several times. I think this novel is appropriate for high school aged students.
The Chocolate War was written such a long time ago that I had a difficult time finding comprehensive book reviews, but I did find some quotes from book reviews on the Random House Web site. The reviewer from School Library Journal thought that The Chocolate War was “an uncompromising portrait of human cruelty and conformity” and the reviewer from The New York Times Book Review wrote that “The Chocolate War is masterfully structured and rich in theme”.

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Feb 17, 2009 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. All Jerry Renault, freshman at Trinity catholic high school, wants is to make the football team and break out of his life's dull, dreary monotony. Trinity's acting headmaster, Brother Leon, and the school's secret society, the Vigils, have different plans for him. Jerry defies both, turning a type of hazing assignment and the school chocolate sale into an exercise of free choice and defiance. Showing will and determination, Jerry at first wins the support of students at the school, but through t...more

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Apr 06, 2009 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 26, 2013 Josephine rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: controversial-banned

Name: Josephine Wold

APA Citation: Cormier, R. (1974). The chocolate war. United States: Pantheon Books.

Genre: Controversial/Banned (also contemporary realistic fiction)

Award: The Chocolate War is one of the books Robert Cormier was honored for as 1991 Winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award in 1974.

Format: Print

Selection process:
1) #3 on ALA’s List of 25 Most Challenged Books 2000-2009
2) Starred review from Kirkus Reviews
3) American Library Association (ALA) Best of the Best Selection
4) Selectio...more Name: Josephine Wold

APA Citation: Cormier, R. (1974). The chocolate war. United States: Pantheon Books.

Genre: Controversial/Banned (also contemporary realistic fiction)

Award: The Chocolate War is one of the books Robert Cormier was honored for as 1991 Winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award in 1974.

Format: Print

Selection process:
1) #3 on ALA’s List of 25 Most Challenged Books 2000-2009
2) Starred review from Kirkus Reviews
3) American Library Association (ALA) Best of the Best Selection
4) Selection by Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) and on YALSA’s Ultimate YA Bookshelf

Review:
The story is about Jerry Renault, an innocent freshman at Trinity, an all-boys Catholic high school. It is also a story about corruption, bullying, fear and violence. As Jerry does “normal” teenage things, like tryout for the football team, try to get the attention of a girl, and opt out of a school fundraiser that involves selling chocolate, he finds himself trapped in a dark, complicated, violent web. Through alternating third-person perspectives, the reader learns that the school is controlled by Archie, a sadistic gang leader, who has power over Brother Leon, a malevolent acting headmaster. The corruption is presented as school administration, not only condones, but collaborates with student bullies and gang leaders. When Jerry refuses to take part in the annual school chocolate sale, his defiance results in relentless persecution.

Although the story is told in a compelling, readable, and fast-paced style, the writing is frequently wrought with peculiar attention to repetitive description of physical pain, injury or visceral discomfort. There is casual mention of masturbation and wide-spread use of crude language. The book conveys the message that there is a prevalence of immorality, terror, evil, and corruption in the world, and good does not always win out. It is interesting to note that female characters are absent from the book except as being dead or as an object for teenage boys’ sexual awareness. Also absent from the book is humor and any sense of redemption.

Recommendation: Not Recommend
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Aug 06, 2011 Carla rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The bleak viciousness that is this novel made me really really anxious and depressed. I couldn’t wait until it was over. I skimmed the whole final chapter and I've been doing my breathing exercises for the past couple of hours to rid myself of the bad chemicals that are pumping through my body.

Ultimately this book is about:

How evil pervades

How pacifism is ultimately a violent act

Martyrdom gets you nowhere

How vicious children really are

Writing a vicious book about viciousness that assaults the re...more

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Dec 14, 2012 Nicole Lindsey rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: english-420

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book was well-written and had an interesting story line, but it wasn't my favorite as far as books go. Maybe I'm just not used to reading non-church books, but I found the language along with the referrals to masturbation and sexual views on woman offensive. As for the plot, it follows several different characters as they attend an all-boys Catholic school. The school is having a chocolate sale, and the "Vigils," a secret group that runs the school, promises their support to one of the teac...more This book was well-written and had an interesting story line, but it wasn't my favorite as far as books go. Maybe I'm just not used to reading non-church books, but I found the language along with the referrals to masturbation and sexual views on woman offensive. As for the plot, it follows several different characters as they attend an all-boys Catholic school. The school is having a chocolate sale, and the "Vigils," a secret group that runs the school, promises their support to one of the teachers, Brother Leon, as he coerces each student into selling twice as many boxes of chocolates as normal for twice the price. One freshman who plays quarter back on the football team, Jerry, is given an assignment by the Vigils (in particular the assigner, Archie) to refuse the chocolate for 10 days and then sell it. He continues to refuse even after the 10 days, and the Vigils order him to sell. Again, he refuses and they turn the whole school against him and even get him beat up by one of the other students. In the end, they trick him into participating in a fight against the student who beat him up before, controlled by a raffle. On each raffle ticket the person who bought it writes his name, a type of punch, and then the name of the person who gets to throw the punch. The fight gets out of hand and luckily a teacher finds out and stops it. Jerry ends up in the hospital, however, and as the teacher who stops it is rebuking Archie, Brother Leon comes and defends him. The book goes to show the corruption that can happen in any situation, like in this Catholic school, and how that corruption can ruin the lives of both the people who go along with it and the people who fight it. No one wins when corruption is a player.

Cormier does do a great job of evoking a reaction in his readers. While I did not appreciate the exorbitant amounts of masturbation found in the book, Cormier was able to use other very normal male actions/reactions to evoke a reaction in the reader. In making his character of Brother Leon so corrupt, it was easy to tell that authority figures can't be trusted according to Cormier. I would recommend this to teenage males beginning at age 13 or so. I wouldn't recommend it to most females (especially younger ones) as it might be offensive or scarring to be that close to a teenage boy's psyche. (less)

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May 02, 2012 Maggy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

We were told to read The Chocolate Wars for English this year and my feelings went from being excited, confused, excited yet again then finally, disappointed.
I have always been a fan of books that introduce many characters and manage to make us care for all of them like the characters in the Gone series or the Shadows of The Apt series by Michael Grant and Adrian Tchaikovsky respectively. However, The Chocolate War is a very short novel and I personally do not believe it did a good job in the sh...more We were told to read The Chocolate Wars for English this year and my feelings went from being excited, confused, excited yet again then finally, disappointed.
I have always been a fan of books that introduce many characters and manage to make us care for all of them like the characters in the Gone series or the Shadows of The Apt series by Michael Grant and Adrian Tchaikovsky respectively. However, The Chocolate War is a very short novel and I personally do not believe it did a good job in the short amount of space it had balancing the amount of characters and the emotional connection readers have with the characters.
It can be said without a doubt that the main protagonist in the story is Jerry Renault but I felt myself more compelled to understand The Goober or Archie and simply felt indifference at what Jerry did and how he acted. He was a very boring character.
I love Archie. He is a brilliant character. The way he manipulates people, the way he hides his feeling and how he turns into a complete psychopath made me keep reading the book. At the beginning of the book, Archie liked power and control. However, the pressure of constantly having to think up new assignments keeps him barely hanging onto his grades and he is constantly stressed and frustrated at what the Vigils expect from him. On top of this, he has always got the marbles to worry about and this was his main source of fear so even though he was outwardly arrogant and confident, inside it was a different story. It all changed with Jerry. When he rebelled, Archie’s position of power was challenged and he was forced to prove his worthiness. It was when Obie and Carter set him the final challenge of the marbles where the odds were stacked against Archie yet he still came out on top that Archie decided that fate was in his favour and he became truly psychopathic thinking he was invincible. (view spoiler)
As many other reviewers have mentioned, there aren’t many girls in this novel. When they are introduced, they are sexualized objects for the sex-crazed boys of the novel. The girls are extremely 2D and are just objects of obsession. When the girl at the bus stop, Ellen Barrett, shows a little bit of personality that did not add to Jerry’s image of her being an image of feminine perfection by saying the word ‘crap’ he instantly losses interest in her. This shows a casual disregard for females. Clearly this is a book designed to be read by teenage boys.
(view spoiler) Chilling. (less)

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Jun 08, 2010 David Kwon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: english-12

The Chocolate War
By Robert Cormier

David Kwon

Plot Summery :

Jerry the protagonist is fighting the antagonist Archie, the leader of Vigils which is a secret student run society group. Archie may reflect only himself or he may represent the Vigils and Brother Leon. When the Assistant Headmaster Leon plans to raise money by selling chocolates, he and Archie form a kind of a partnership. Brother Leon gets Archie’s help in selling the chocolate and in helping, Archie gains nearly absolute authority ov...more

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Jun 21, 2008 Rob Blixt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My friend Vicki sent me a list of the American Library Association’s list of most challenged books of the last ten years. The Chocolate War was on that list, so I figured, what the hell! I’ve never read any young adult literature. This might be a good place to start! Let’s see what all the hoopla is about!

I can see why this novel has been challenged in the past. There are several references, and other clear statements, about what high school boys do with themselves when they’re all alone in thei...more My friend Vicki sent me a list of the American Library Association’s list of most challenged books of the last ten years. The Chocolate War was on that list, so I figured, what the hell! I’ve never read any young adult literature. This might be a good place to start! Let’s see what all the hoopla is about!

I can see why this novel has been challenged in the past. There are several references, and other clear statements, about what high school boys do with themselves when they’re all alone in their bedrooms at night. And as we all know, talking about sex with young adults always stirs the pot. Also, this book is about some major themes: evil, justice, gang-mentality, abuse of power. And in the end, this book doesn’t end with flowers and rainbows. It’s a pretty downbeat ending. But to me (no surprise here), these are all realistic themes that should be dealt with in fiction, especially young adult fiction. I can see teaching this book to a class and getting into very important discussions about justice, hatred, and sincerity. These are topics that should be talked about in our classrooms.

Okay, enough preaching!

In response to Cormier’s writing itself, all I have to say is, simply, this is good writing. All you have to do is read the first little chapter of this book to realize you’re in good hands. There’s nothing extraneous in Cormier’s writing. He uses short, clear, terse sentences that move the story forward and keep you interested. Good stuff.

A times while reading this book I felt like I was in the same world created in the movie Brick, which came out a couple years ago. The dialogue between the characters isn’t as stylized, and the main plot device isn’t as adult, but I still had the sense while reading this novel that we were in a slightly exaggerated world. Everything was just a little bit hyper-real. Characters where more that just real, they were real with very intentional purposes. There are heroes and there are villains. The book is very clear about that. In other novels I would like to see more complexity of characters, bad characters doing good things sometimes, and good characters doing bad things, but in this book it doesn’t matter so much. I appreciated the black and white nature of the book. It imbues it with an interesting sense of tragedy.
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Aug 25, 2010 Mari rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

you read the blurb and ask yourself: it's a story about a school drive to sell chocolates?!

trust me, it's so much more than that. yes, it's fundamentally a story between good and evil but then you reach a certain point where you can no longer distinguish the good guys from the bad guys. you start to question the characters' motivations for doing what they do - why archie orchestrates twisted plans against everyone-the school administration, the popular kids, the bullies, even against the vigils;...more

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Apr 25, 2008 Jeanette rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008

I Did not like this book at all. I had to force myself to finish it just because I hate leaving books unfinished. It is a story about a chocolate sale at a private boys prep school. The action revolves around one evil bully, an equally evil and manipulative teacher and their victim. I find it extremely unbelievable that one teenage boy could have as much power as the bully in this story does. The plot was completely ridiculous. I did not care for the theme of the book or most of the action of th...more

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Feb 09, 2011 One Pushy Fox rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There's a reason why teachers have been using this searingly real and powerful book to teach about morality and the perils of group think for the past 30 years. It's because The Chocolate War is an amazing story, filled with characters of variety and depth, told by an author of supreme talent.

I really enjoyed this dark look at teenage life and the cost of conscientious objection in the face of severe peer pressure. See my full review on Bewitched Bookworms.

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Aug 05, 2011 Ted added it · review of another edition

Another superb, dark YAF novel from Robert Cormier. This book and I Am the Cheese are two of the coolest teen novels I've read because they don't sugarcoat or dumb down situations for teens.

In The Chocolate War, a secret society, the Vigils, are the proverbial inmates running the asylum. In this case, the bedlam takes place over Jerry Renault's freshman year at Trinity High School for boys. Jerry dares to defy the Vigils and its leader, Archie, by refusing to sell chocolates for a school fundrai...more

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Feb 02, 2009 melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was obviously not written for me, as I’m not a teenage boy. I get the conflict, the feelings and where they come from. I even found the characters more or less believable. I didn’t find the ending particularly satisfying either. In fact, I had to listen to it twice. Something about it that I can’t put my finger on is sitting wrong with me. Would I have been able to appreciate this when I was younger (and still not a boy)? Probably, but I’m not sure I would have put in the time. Would I...more

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Jan 05, 2009 Eileen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-bullying

The reason The Chocolate War is a central novel to YA literature is it is the first YA novel to suggest that “evil might conceivably carry the day” (Cart, p.70).Goober best describes the situation at Trinity. “Look, Jerry. There’s something rotten in that school. More than rotten. He groped for the word and found it but didn’t want to use it. The word didn’t fit the surroundings, the sun and the bright October afternoon. It was a midnight word, a howling wind word.” (p. 151). Several sentences l...more

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May 17, 2013 Fellesha rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The overall rating that I am giving for The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier is 4 out of 5 stars.

At a private school where a group called the Vigils, dominate the grounds, something as miniscule as a freshman, dares to disturb their power. Jerry Renault, a normal freshman, with a normal life, just wants to fit in. Yet, when put to the test to participate in the annual chocolate sale that is run by the Vigils, Jerry refuses to participate. Jerry’s defiance turns into something much larger than an...more The overall rating that I am giving for The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier is 4 out of 5 stars.

At a private school where a group called the Vigils, dominate the grounds, something as miniscule as a freshman, dares to disturb their power. Jerry Renault, a normal freshman, with a normal life, just wants to fit in. Yet, when put to the test to participate in the annual chocolate sale that is run by the Vigils, Jerry refuses to participate. Jerry’s defiance turns into something much larger than anticipated, and he is forced to undergo an all out war with the Vigils.

What I was most impressed by when I read this book is that Cormier so easily made this book seem like it could actually happen in real life. The way that Cormier describes the characters make them seem like normal teenagers. A lot of books about kids that I have read fail horribly to do that. Yet, this book handles the relation predicament very well. These kids are easily relatable, and I am very impressed by what he did. An example of him showing how he describes the kids thoughts and emotions is when he talks about Jerry playing football. He so well describes the pain and thoughts that are flying through Jerry’s head that I felt it also. It was very well done.

There is some graphic violence in this book, that may not fend well to those who are strongly against it. There is also multiple swear words used in the book, but none of these things took anything away from my reading. It honestly made it more realistic. There are some mature situations in this book, so I do not recommend this book for younger kids. I had no comprehension challenges with this book, so that should not factor into the reading.

I would recommend this book for young adults, for the situations depicted in this book relate very well to them. I would also recommend this book to people who want to make a difference in the world, because that is what the book is basically about. Because Cormier so easily related this story to modern teenagers, this book was very enjoyable. He showed that in some situations, parents can understand what is happening in their children’s lives. That sometimes, young people have to stand up by themselves for they believe in. And even though sometimes they might not come out victorious, at least they went out fighting.(less)

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May 03, 2013 Savvy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My Thoughts on The Chocolate War
The Chocolate War was what someone might call, "interesting." Jerry Renault is a normal catholic school kid, struggling to get over the death of his mother, make the football team, and survive high school. He is harassed by the Vigils, a secret group of students in trinity that seems only to torture and upset the balance of the schools organization. They assign jobs to younger students, tasks that are wrong, uncomfortable, and against authority. For Jerry, this me...more

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May 03, 2013 Timothy Mougey rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I give The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier is a 2 out of 5

The plot of the story is that Jerry Renault is hired by the infamous vigils to not sell chocolates for ten days. But after the ten days he still refused to sell the chocolates. And that is when he got what's coming to him.
I feel that the main strength of this piece is the will to defy. I feel that this is the main strength because Jerry will not give up on this campaign to not sell the chocolates. Jerry even draws others to stop selli...more

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Apr 23, 2013 Emilia St. rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Chocolate War, a novel by Robert Cormier, can be considered a classic coming of age novel for young adults. Jerry Renault is a freshman who seems to be quiet, but has big ideas down his sleeve. Little does he know, but he will turn the entire high school for loop. Trinity High School prides themselves upon their annual chocolate sale, which raises money for the school. This fundraiser is expected to be done by all of the boys on the school, it being an all boy school. Brother Leon, the head...more The Chocolate War, a novel by Robert Cormier, can be considered a classic coming of age novel for young adults. Jerry Renault is a freshman who seems to be quiet, but has big ideas down his sleeve. Little does he know, but he will turn the entire high school for loop. Trinity High School prides themselves upon their annual chocolate sale, which raises money for the school. This fundraiser is expected to be done by all of the boys on the school, it being an all boy school. Brother Leon, the head of the school, strongly encourages the chocolate sale, saying it is voluntary. Voluntary doesn’t seem to be the case. The Vigils, a group at the school that tends to cause havoc, give Jerry the assignment to not sell the chocolates. When Jerry says no in class the next ten days, everyone is shocked. When the ten days are up Jerry still refuses because he doesn’t believe he should have to sell them. The story unfolds when we see hoe Jerry is treated by other because of this.
Others in class our class have given this book great reviews. The book is older, but still has a way of addressing present day issues such as bullying, LGBTQ issues, as well as peer pressure. When Jerry does not follow the norms of the school, he is bullied by older boys. Since he doesn’t follow what everyone else is doing, he is also judged. This is something that goes on in schools all of the time. Many kids get treated poorly because they are different. In the book the main Vigil character, Archie, asks Jerry if he’s scared because he’s “gay”. Teens can relate to this statement. Any young teen struggling with their sexual identity can easily be offended by a statement like this. It is interesting to read a book from over 20 years ago and see that the issues presented in the text are very similar to the issues teenagers are faced with today.
When it comes to teaching this book in a classroom setting, I probably would not. My reasoning behind this is that I think that the set up and structure of the book is very poor. I do not think the author did a very good job of making the characters memorable because he was constantly changing viewpoints. Now, this was probably intentional, but it really made me hate the book. If I HAD to recommend this book to someone, it would probably be to a teenage boy. The men in our class seemed to like this book more than the ladies did. That is probably because it is from the perspective of young boys. I would use this book in a theme set for teaching though. That way, students would have the option to choose this novel if they wanted to. Just don’t think I would ever use it as a whole class novel. Overall, I gave the book 2 stars.
(less)

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Apr 17, 2013 Nixtjac rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: realistic-fiction, war, young-adult

My rating for Robert Cormier’s The Chocolate War is a 4 out of 5 stars.

When Jerry Renault says no to the chocolate sale, it may be the last thing he does. The chocolate sale is a big tradition at Trinity High School, and saying no to it makes Jerry a celebrity overnight, given most people don’t want to sell the stupid chocolates. But it also puts him in danger, while continuing to not sell the chocolates gets him in trouble with the Vigils, the secret organization held within the school. And no...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Amanda Shepard rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As a freshman at Trinity Catholic High School, Jerry Renault just wants to fit in. He tries out for the football team, hoping for acceptance, and pondering the quote on the poster in his locker everyday, "Do I dare disturb the universe?" However, lurking in the shadows is Archie Costello and the secret society, the Vigils, who run the school through Archie's intimidation. When the school's annual chocolate sale begins, and Brother Leon asks the Vigils for their support in the sale, they agree. J...more As a freshman at Trinity Catholic High School, Jerry Renault just wants to fit in. He tries out for the football team, hoping for acceptance, and pondering the quote on the poster in his locker everyday, "Do I dare disturb the universe?" However, lurking in the shadows is Archie Costello and the secret society, the Vigils, who run the school through Archie's intimidation. When the school's annual chocolate sale begins, and Brother Leon asks the Vigils for their support in the sale, they agree. Jerry, however, decides to defy the school, and the Vigils, refusing to sell the chocolates. According to Archie, his defiance needs punishment from the Vigils, punishment that will make Jerry never want to cross them again.

The Chocolate War is a novel that I've heard a lot about, being in the field of young adult literature, but one I've never gotten the chance to read until now. As one of the classics of young adult literature, I think it is important to see where the genre came from, and compare it to where it has come in the past 20 years or so. Overall, I thought it was a good piece of literature, with fleshed out characters and a plot that always kept me guessing, even certain parts were obvious. Cormier does a good job of capturing the peer pressure that so many people feel at this age through the character of Jerry, and though there might not be a secret society like the Vigils in every school, there is that one group of students that everyone is afraid of, the "in crowd." There was one issue that I had with the book, and it may stem from my study of LGBTQ inclusive literature in the past, but the part when Jerry is insulted by being called a "queer fairy." I know that this may stem from the time period that this was written in (the 70s), but it's things like this that help to perpetuate stereotypes. Aside from this fact, I thought that this was a good read, and definitely would prompt good discussion with others that have read it.

As for a classroom, this book could definitely be paired with another classic, or even used on its own in a classroom. Because of the complexity of the issues presented, and all of the philosophical questions presented, this novel would create good discussion among students. It's one of those novels that you want to discuss with others after you have read it, plus it is relatable to the majority of high school students. This is definitely a book to keep in mind when teaching young adult literature in the classroom.(less)

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About Robert Cormier

Robert Edmund Cormier (January 17, 1925–November 2, 2000) was an American author, columnist and reporter, known for his deeply pessimistic, downbeat literature. His most popular works include I Am the Cheese, After the First Death, We All Fall Down and The Chocolate War, all of which have won awards. The Chocolate War was challenged in multiple libraries. His books often are concerned with themes...more

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“Cities fell. Earth opened. Planets tilted. Stars plummeted. And the awful silence.” — 19 people liked it

“He hated to think of his own life stretching ahead of him that way, a long succession of days and nights that were fine - not good, not bad, not great, not lousy, not exciting, not anything.” — 17 people liked it

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