The Chocolate War

Cormier, Robert. 2000. THE CHOCOLATE WAR. New York: Random House Children’s Books, 1974.

CHOCOLATE WAR tells the story of Jerry Renault and his daring move not to sell chocolates at the annual school chocolate sale. Jerry, who was assigned by The Vigils to not sell the school’s chocolates, does as he is told for the ten days allotted. However, after the tenth day, when Jerry is supposed to once more begin selling chocolates (and is even told to do so by The Vigils) he continues to refuse out of defiance.

It was hard for me to connect with this story and its characters probably because it seems very much geared toward teenage boys. Also, I am a fan of realism because let’s face—if I want reality I’ll just step outside my front door. The overall tone of the book is very serious. However, taking an objective step back, CHOCOLATE WAR was well-written and I could see why it has stood the test of time. Originally written in 1974, Cormier tackles the subject of bullying in the form of the secret society, the Vigils, and the leader of the pack, Archie Costello. Bullying here, though, comes in the more subtle form of peer pressure rather than physical violence, though the ending does become violent.

Speaking of the ending, because this book grounded in realism, the ending isn’t quite what you expect from a novel. I won’t say anymore than that so as not to spoil the ending, but it was somewhat of a disappointment. As stated by a review in School Library Journal, “This novel [is] unique in its uncompromising portrait of human cruelty and conformity.”

Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Alexie, Sherman. 2007. THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2007.

TRUE DIARY tells the story of Arnold Spirit, Jr., better known as Junior to his family and friends, a full-blood Spokane Indian living life on a reservation. The “part-time” the title refers to is Junior’s feelings of confusion when he decides to leave his school (and best friend Rowdy) on “the rez” in favor of the high school in the nearby town of Reardan—a school whose entire population is white. Though he still lives on the reservation, his Indian peers are hostile toward him for his perceived betrayal, while his peers in Reardan alienate him for being different. Junior goes through many hard times, “exploring his Indian identity, both self and tribal,” (Shoemaker 2007) but still he perseveres because he knows that though following your dreams may be hard at times, perhaps in the end it will all be worth it.

TRUE DIARY is the winner of the 2007 National Book Award, so I had high expectations when I opened it. Though overall, I did enjoy the book, I have to admit I was bored for the first 53 pages. It wasn’t until Junior made it to the school in Reardan that I felt it started to pick up. The book was humorous in some places (I especially enjoyed the Unofficial and Unwritten Spokane Indian Rules of Fisticuffs) and heartbreaking in others. In general, though, the book came across as very authentic to me, touching upon issues such as alcoholism, neglect and abuse, racism, and losing someone (or several someones) close to you.

I also enjoyed the illustrations provided by Junior (actually drawn by Ellen Forney) that he includes in his narrative about his life. The story is told in first person and as if he were writing it as a biography or journal. Junior is an admirable character, typical in some ways (he loves basketball, drawing, and hanging out with his best friend), but atypical in others because this kid gets knocked down hard by life many times over, but manages to bounce back every time. So while the beginning starts of slow, I would definitely recommend it to others.

Reference List:

Shoemaker, Chris. 2007. Review of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie. School Library Journal.