Monday, August 25, 2014

Teaser Tuesday 232: The Chocolate War

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current book or recent read.
* Share a few "teaser" sentences from somewhere in the book.
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away. You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!




I have just finished reading The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, a young adult novel. Good writing, but can't say I enjoyed this one very much, particularly the ending. Here's the opening of chapter one, which I think appropriate considering football season is now in full swing.




They murdered him.

As he turned to take the ball, a dam burst against the side of his and a hand grenade shattered his stomach. Engulfed by nausea, he pitched toward the grass. His mouth encountered gravel, and he spat frantically, afraid that some of his teeth had been knocked out. Rising to his feet, he saw the field through drifting gauze but held on until everything settled into place, like a lens focusing, making the world sharp again, with edges.

(Chapter one)




ABOUT THE BOOK

Does Jerry Renault dare to disturb the universe? You wouldn't think that his refusal to sell chocolates during his school's fundraiser would create such a stir, but it does; it's as if the whole school comes apart at the seams. To some, Jerry is a hero, but to others, he becomes a scapegoat--a target for their pent-up hatred. And Jerry? He's just trying to stand up for what he believes, but perhaps there is no way for him to escape becoming a pawn in this game of control; students are pitted against other students, fighting for honor--or are they fighting for their lives? In 1974, author Robert Cormier dared to disturb our universe when this book was first published. And now, with a new introduction by the celebrated author, The Chocolate War stands ready to shock a new group of teen readers.





17 comments:

Vonnie said...

I think I would read this book just for the title. lol

My TT

Heather said...

Vonnie: It does have that going for it, doesn't it? LOL ☺

Yvonne said...

I'm not sure this one is for me, but that title is sure enticing. LOL

Alice Audrey said...

Disturb the universe? Then why have I never heard of it before?

Heather said...

Yvonne: I wasn't sure whether I would like this one or not. I had heard a lot about it and the author, but had never read it/him before now. I'm waffling over hunting down the sequel.

Heather said...

Alice: I take it neither you nor either of your kids had to read this one? My HS freshman class didn't, but my sister's did. I've seen the title mentioned off and on since then, and it's often on the list of banned/challenged books due to language, violence, and sexual content.

Unknown said...

I remember this one being quite disturbing as a teen. I wonder what I would think of it now.

My teaser this week is from a thriller similar to Dan Brown's offerings:

http://pdworkman.com/excerpt-from-wanted-teasertuesday/

Heather said...

PD: Trust me, it's disturbing as an adult, too -- particularly the character of Archie, Janza and Brother Leon.

Heather said...

MV: YA isn't for everyone, even though many books have more adult themes.

Unknown said...

This book is so much more disturbing than the title lets on. It was a hard read for me. But it's a classic, and good for getting to know the genre. I hope you like it!

My Teasers.

The Bibliophilism said...

great teaser and a book with interesting title :)

Heather said...

Hi Kerry, thanks for visiting. Had you actually read my post, not just the book's title, you'd know how I felt about this one. ;-)

Heather said...

Thanks, Deasy, I'm glad you liked the title and teaser. While I can't say I particularly liked it, the writing was good and it was an interesting read.

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

This one sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

Heather said...

Laurel-Rain: The writing is good, though the end rather disturbing. Would love to know what you think if you read it. ;-)

Cleopatra Loves Books said...

Not really one for me but a good opening. Thanks for visiting my TT http://cleopatralovesbooks.wordpress.com/2014/08/26/tuesday-teaser-august-26/

Heather said...

Thanks for stopping by, Cleo!