#thechocolatewar

Well, if you like stories with a happy ending, then this book is not for you.

Throughout the novel things aren’t particularly chipper, but you always have this sense that somehow the main character Jerry will manage to overcome the odds--that he’ll rise against the corruption in his school and change it for the better! Then you read the last chapter and *spoiler alert!* Jerry gets beaten nearly to death in front of the entire school, the teachers do nothing to punish those responsible, and, perhaps worst of all, Jerry gives up. He gives up the fight, gives up going against the Vigils, gives up following his own path: “Don’t disturb the universe, Goober, no matter what the posters say.” -page 248.

I think that the strength of this book so far really lies with its characters. The plot itself is character-driven; the interest from the book is not in some epic story, but rather in the novelty of seeing the daily life of a bunch of school kids told from multiple perspectives with great authenticity. The book introduces a large number of characters, often shifting the point of view when doing so. It then weaves the individual stories of each character into the overall fabric that is the plot.

P.S. Brother Leon is excessively frustrating, not only as a teacher, but as a human being in general.

I’ve read the first 9 chapters thus far and am pretty interested in this book. Between chapters, the point of view changes. Sometimes you’re reading Jerry’s pov, other times it’s Obie, or The Goober, or Archie. Speaking of Archie, he is a truly interesting character, like something straight out of an anime. He’s clever, quick witted, even sadistic at times. As the head of the Vigils, the whole school admires, and fears, him. Despite all that, he’s also authentic; he second guesses himself, is insecure, is frustrated by how much work he has to do, and worries about what the other students think of him.

Also, I’d just like to mention how absolutely beyond frustrated I was when reading about Brother Leon. He is the worst kind of teacher. And sure, he tried to play off his display of self-serving machismo by claiming he wanted the students to learn a lesson from it, but it’s evident that he was simply using the humiliation of a student to demonstrate his dominance over the class.