[Poggio]

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

This book even as an adult is my absolute favorite book. For a while I would pick it up once year and read through it until I gave my copy away to a friend. Cormier is one of the premiere psychological thriller writers in the YA genre. Of his novels The Chocolate War exemplifies him as a writer. This book also made it on the banned book list and there for I highly recommend it.

The story follows young Jerry Renault as he struggles to find away to fit in, he does so however by realizing he must not conform. From there the story only grows in complexity as the race to sale chocolate in the school’s fundraiser suddenly finds many of the characters questioning their individuality. Ultimately the story climaxes in a standoff that really makes you wonder “Do I dare disturb the universe?”

The importance of this book to me is not really its plot but more its characters. Cormier has an uncanny ability to do a decent job of giving the reader incredible emotional insight for a novel that is considered young adult. Not only can you sympathize with the main character but you find yourself in the Lolita dilemma, where in you cannot decide if the main antagonist Archie has you captivated in his own persona/psychosis/product of circumstances, or if he is just a fucking bastard. Long and short go read it.