What was the deal with… Robert Cormier and 1970s YA Fiction?

Robert Cormier was a pretty good author in the 1970s, especially for Young Adult fiction, but I don’t know of anybody else who has read a Robert Cormier book (I’m sure they’re out there.). The Young Adult fiction genre didn’t really exist when Cormier was writing his books. At least, it didn’t get its own section in book stores and libraries. There were a few books that were written for teenagers (a lot of people think of author Judy Blume), but they were usually in the children’s books section, and most teenagers, even those who read books, didn’t want to be seen looking at the kid’s books.

When I was growing up, boys I knew would read westerns by Louis L’Amour or adventure/spy novels by Alistair MaClean or fantasy like the Lord of the Rings or The Narnia books.  I remember girls reading stuff like Sybil by Flora Rheta Schreiber  and Don’t Ask Alice by Anonymous (now known as the alleged fraud Beatrice Sparks) and romance novels, but I didn’t know anybody who had read a Robert Cormier book.

I didn’t read any Robert Cormier books either until I was an adult.  Even when I received two of these books The Chocolate War and I Am The Cheese as a combined Christmas gift back in the 1970s, I didn’t read them right away.  I hope I at least acted enthusiastic, but I probably went straight to Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots (I think I’m mixing up my nostalgic memories).  I liked to read, but I wasn’t interested in books about boys my age or teenagers.  I preferred books written about adults.  Adults lived more interesting lives than kids did (at least in the books I read, they did). 

Also, I didn’t like the titles The Chocolate War and I Am the Cheese.  I know now that these titles make sense after you read the books, but they didn’t appeal to me when I was a kid, and I still don’t care for the titles now that I’m … slightly older.  I’ve always judged books by their titles instead of their covers, and sometimes I’m right, but I definitely misjudged these two.  I would try to think of possible better titles, but it’s probably a little late now.

I didn’t get around to reading The Chocolate War until I took a children’s literature class in college back in the late 1980s, and I was surprised by how good it was (the book, not the class). I’ve reread The Chocolate War a couple times since (it’s a quick read!).  It’s entertaining, and it has one of the best classroom scenes ever written (in my opinion) where a hated teacher bullies a kid mercilessly and then berates the other students in the class for letting it happen. That scene might not hold up today because kids are much more likely to talk back to teachers, even when teachers don’t deserve it.

Even so, it was a great scene.  Not many authors can write a great classroom scene.  That’s my book review for The Chocolate War.

I found a copy of I am the Cheese when I was digging through yet another box of books (I keep finding books!).  I read it pretty quickly, not because it’s short (though that helped), but because it was interesting.  I liked it, so I finished it (that’s my book review for I Am the Cheese).  I Am the Cheese reminded me of one of Dennis Lehane’s book from the 1990s, but I’m not going to say which one because associating the two books could potentially ruin the endings of both books. 

Not all of Robert Cormier’s book titles were bad.  After the First Death is a pretty good title, but I don’t remember anything about it.  Fade is also a good title, and it was a good book too, but there was a scene that got it banned from some libraries.  I understand why the book was banned.  That scene was unnecessary.    Just think of the things that you would see if you were invisible, and… yeah, it was something like that.

Whenever I read a Robert Cormier book, I think that most adults could read it and get into it.  I’m not sure if I could say the same thing for today’s YA fiction, most of which gives me a headache because the writing seems childish.  To be fair, a lot of stuff gives me headaches nowadays.  I should probably get that checked out.  But reading Robert Cormier books has not given me any headaches.  Just for that, I’m a fan.

*****

It’s the oldest story in the world, 1990s style!

Man meets woman; man falls in “luuuvvv” with woman; man gets sucker-punched by reality!

The Sunset Rises: A 1990s Romantic Comedy is now available on Amazon !

Here’s some more “What was the deal with…?”:

What was the deal with… Slaves of New York by Tama Janowicz?

What was the deal with… Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis?

What was the deal with…? From Russia With Love by Ian Fleming

What Was The Deal With… Scaring Kids About Quicksand?