ISBN: 0385729626
Publisher: Dell Laurel Leaf (2001)
160 p.
Publisher: Dell Laurel Leaf (2001)
160 p.
Reading Level: Grade 9 and up.
Summary:
In Robert Cormier’s last novel before his death, a young child is murdered and left in the woods. A 12-year-old named Jason, a lonely boy with not too many friends and who feels most comfortable with those younger than he is, was the last to see her alive when he was visiting at her house while her brother and friends were there. The town is struggling to find out who could have done this horrible deed, so the police bring in Trent, an expert interrogator from another town to see if he can uncover if Jason saw or knew anything . . . or if he is the killer. As both Trent and Jason struggle with their inner fears and personal choices, they circle around each other wearily, both testing the boundaries of their relationship and wondering where it will lead. This novel is “a terrifying look at what can happen when the pursuit of justice becomes a personal crusade for victory at any cost.” (Retrieved from http://www.teenreads.com/guides/rag_bone_shop1.asp).
Critical Evaluation:
The bulk of this novel takes place in a cramped interrogation room during a struggle between Trent and Jason. The chapters alternate in point of view between the two and show how the abuse of power from one in a trusted position can ruin a child’s life. Even though Trent is known for always catching the perpetrator in forcing confessions, he thinks, “He looked at the boy . . . So vulnerable. Suggestible. Unguarded, open to being shaped and molded. As others have been shaped and molded—the thought like a moving shadow across his mind.” (pp. 131-132). This is the moment when the reader realizes that this sentence foreshadows how Trent will achieve his mission, no matter what the consequences might be. Jason thinks, toward the end, what many in the justice system must come face-to-face with in many instances:
“But how did Mr. Trent get him to say what he did when he didn’t do it?
Could never do it, could never do something like that. Never.
The bulk of this novel takes place in a cramped interrogation room during a struggle between Trent and Jason. The chapters alternate in point of view between the two and show how the abuse of power from one in a trusted position can ruin a child’s life. Even though Trent is known for always catching the perpetrator in forcing confessions, he thinks, “He looked at the boy . . . So vulnerable. Suggestible. Unguarded, open to being shaped and molded. As others have been shaped and molded—the thought like a moving shadow across his mind.” (pp. 131-132). This is the moment when the reader realizes that this sentence foreshadows how Trent will achieve his mission, no matter what the consequences might be. Jason thinks, toward the end, what many in the justice system must come face-to-face with in many instances:
“But how did Mr. Trent get him to say what he did when he didn’t do it?
Could never do it, could never do something like that. Never.
Never?
But if you said you did it, maybe you could do it.” (p. 152).
This novel takes a look at how the best of intentions can corrupt an otherwise decent human being as the life of a child hangs in his hands and the immense guilt a child feels, not perhaps for what he did, but for what another put in his mind.
Reader’s Annotation:
If you’re told forcefully enough that you’re guilty . . . are you?
Author Biography:
Cormier was one of the most prolific and important writers of young-adult novels. Born in the French Canadian section of Leominster, Massachusetts, he grew up to become a newspaper writer for the Worcester Telegraph & Gazette and, finally, the Fitchburg Sentinel, where he won awards for his human-interest stories. He gave up working as a journalist full-time in 1966 to concentrate on novel writing, but continued to work as a columnist and associate editor for the Sentinel. In 1974, when The Chocolate War received critical acclaim, it started Cormier on the path of becoming one of the most beloved, but controversial authors who are still being read in high schools across America.
Cormier was one of the most prolific and important writers of young-adult novels. Born in the French Canadian section of Leominster, Massachusetts, he grew up to become a newspaper writer for the Worcester Telegraph & Gazette and, finally, the Fitchburg Sentinel, where he won awards for his human-interest stories. He gave up working as a journalist full-time in 1966 to concentrate on novel writing, but continued to work as a columnist and associate editor for the Sentinel. In 1974, when The Chocolate War received critical acclaim, it started Cormier on the path of becoming one of the most beloved, but controversial authors who are still being read in high schools across America.
Most of Cormier’s novels deal with the more complicated side of teenage life such as the anxiety, confusion, and hardships that teens go through and the alienation they feel. Cormier won many awards, including the Margaret A. Edwards award for novels The Chocolate War, I am the Cheese, and After the First Death, The New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year, 1974,1977, 1979 and the Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, 1974.
Genre: Fiction - Mystery/Suspense
Curriculum Ties:
This would be a great addition to a creative writing class with its use of suspense or a Social Studies or English class in order to look at ethics and how Trent has waylaid his morality in order to achieve further success in his position.
Booktalking Ideas:
-How does Trent’s application of pressure change Jason?
-How does the title sum up the novel and why did Cormier choose Yeat’s poem
and this specific title?
and this specific title?
-What does it mean when Lottie tells Trent, “You are what you do”?
Read-Alikes:
- I Am the Cheese by Robert Cormier.
- For Mike by Shelley Sykes.
- Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci.
- What Happened to Lani Garver by Carol Plum-Ucci.
Challenge Issue:
Cormier’s novels have been the topic of controversy many times, but as Cormier said in the past,
I don't object to parents who do not want their sons or daughters to read, say, The Chocolate War or We All Fall Down. But I object when parents don't want other people's children reading those books. I think that a controversial book belongs in the classroom where it can be discussed, where a teacher can guide the students, where, in fact, a student can get up in class or write a paper saying that he or she doesn't like the book and objects to facets of it. That's the kind of freedom we must preserve.(Retrieved from http://www.teenreads.com/authors/au-cormier-robert.asp).
Although I did not find any controversy around this particular novel, a parent may have issues with how Jason is treated by those in the police force. The Chocolate War is the novel most often in the middle of controversy for its language and for showcasing sexuality. Again, Cormier writes realistically from the point of view of teenagers, and parents should read his novels along with their teens and discuss any content that makes them uncomfortable. In the ALA Freedom to Read statement, librarians are said to have the responsibility to give patrons the freedom to read and ask for any materials they see fit.
Reason to include in blog:
Robert Cormier is one of my top two favorite authors. His lyrical style and choice of words simply jump off the page and transport the reader into every story he weaves together. The novel, The Chocolate War, is often used in high school English classes, but all his books are gems that every reader should discover.
References:
American Library Association. (2006). Freedom to Read Statement. Retrieved from
Campbell, P. (n.d.) The Rag and Bone Shop.
Retrieved at http://www.teenreads.com/guides/rag_bone_shop1.asp
Cormier, R. (2001). The Rag and Bone Shop. New York: Dell Laurel Leaf.
Teenreads. (2003). Robert Cormier. Retrieved from
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