The Chocolate War

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Summary: An insightful look at teenagers' thoughts and actions.
Review: The opening of the book was utterly captivating, and the entire novel constantly held my attention. From the ingenuity, shrewdness, and cruelty of Archie and the Vigils to the timidity of Goober and Jerry Renault, this book gives an accurate look at what some kids really have to go through, and the thoughts that go through their heads.

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Summary: A great literary find!!
Review: A wonderful book for highschool aged students, or even adults. Wonderfully written, and a book that will surely make you think. I strongly recommend reading this intense, different, and some what sad story about a school, a boy, and a chocolate sale.

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Summary: Cormier writes a novel rich in theme and parallelism.
Review: Robert Cormier's novel The Chocolate War examines many aspects of the adolescent experience. Who can't identify with the young protagonist Jerry Renault. Well crafted characters that seem to jump off the page, as well as a lot of symoblism. This is a great book for young adults.

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Summary: I love it! the characters were so compelling!
Review: The details and underlining issues of this book were so captivating.

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Summary: It's a great book
Review: I just finished the book a couple a days ago at first it was a bit confusing I had no idea what the whole piont was , but it gets really intresting. I love this book and I recommend it to all teens out there. It's a great book.

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Summary: "The Chocolate War" is a must for all high school students.
Review: Robert Cormier approaches the subject of conformity and teenagers with both wisdom and appeal. The reader is drawn into the difficult life of Jerry Renault and his high school experience. The Vigils serve as the original problem, but are surprised when the problem turns on them. This is a book that every high school student should read at least once in their high school career.

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Summary: The Story was good but not as good as i thought it would be
Review: I thought the book was very good but way too long, the book shows a life lesson in the book that how a high schooler boy gets forced to be in a high school mafia, it shows how corrupt the world is.If you want a good lesson from a book i would recomened this book for you.

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Summary: Umm....presents stark but exaggerated views on life!
Review: We had to analyse this book for english. This book, without a deep review, appears so boring. And it is. Even with the 3000 essays (!) we had to write on it, it did not seem any better. I believe it was a pointless book that really dwelled upon the harsh yet trivial things in life. A HORRIBLE READ

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Summary: shows many power struggles that adolescents face even today
Review: The Chocolate War is a great example of what many adolescents face in a high school setting today. There are many issues of conformity and non-conformity and what to do if you were the person stuck in the position that Jerry Renault became involved in. Jerry is the quarterback of Trinity High School and as a quarterback he is viewed traditionally as a leader that makes quick decisions. Ironically enough, Jerry is taken out of his leadership role as a quarterback and forced to make a decision on whether or not to perform the Vigil assignment. Although the assignment itself may seem unrealistic in the year 2000, peer pressure still occurs today. Other important aspects to find in this novel are the apparent biblical allusions of "it was like the parting of the Red Sea". This is a direct reference to Jerry as Moses when the boys are clearing the hallway. There are also references to John the Baptist. There are many references to Nazi Germany with Brother Leon as Hitler, the Vigils as Nazis, and the other teachers as SS men. This is a story that has many different themes evident and one that is a great story to be taught in a classroom.

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Summary: Interesting novel which depicts many thought provoking ideas
Review: Robert Cormier presents many relevant themes to teenagers and adolescents in todays society. The evil, manipulation and corruption of teachers and students in schools are shown to extreme, but relevent lengths through the issues. The novel presents main characters views towards individualism and following the crowd. The storyline is interesting however has some gross but true pictures in the readers mind. Exagerrated but quite true. Not the best I've read.