The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
5 star
High School, Boys’ School, Human Nature, Growing Up
An incredible, powerful novel about a gang of high school boys endorsed by their teacher who weave elegant lies and create a state of constant fear—and the one unsuspecting freshman who quietly and stoically stands up to them. Like Lord of the Flies for high school, The Chocolate War displays the darker side of human nature through carefully crafted characters and the slow boil of high school conformity. The language is straightforward yet strong; Cormier mixes honest speech with emotional thought processes to weave a complicated tale in a short book. (It constantly ranks in the top most challenged books, if that’s your thing.)
Sequel: Beyond the Chocolate War
(Source: ihopetheyhavebooksinhell)
