Two freshmen students write to the school committee defending The Chocolate War, refuting its power to incite students to challenge their parents and teachers. They ask the committee to trust in their students' judgment. The letter is signed by 38…
Debbie Denzer shares her story of being fired for sharing a book about witchcraft with a student writing a paper on the topic. She admits her own disappointment in herself for previously dodging teaching Cormier's book for fear of falling into…
Richardson recounts a student's journal entries on The Chocolate War as he worked on a paper on censorship of Cormier's work. The article includes portions of Paul's letter to Cormier and Cormier's complete response. Richardson closes on the…
Janet, a doctoral candidate, writes Cormier with a number of questions about I Am the Cheese. One question is about the reference to "The Farmer in the Dell." Janet also proposes several questions regarding potential plot holes in the Farmer family's…
Teacher Margaret Silver talks about the need for strong YA literature. Silver finds Cormier a good example of a writer that prepares young readers for more difficult reading and for real-life problems.
Robert Cormier writes to a class about how a character's development follows inevitable paths. He also addresses how the sequel to The Chocolate War aims to address readers' questions. Cormier later discusses the dangers of precautionary…
Cormier describes the outcomes and actions of defenders in censorship battles in South Carolina and Massachusetts. Attached is a newspaper clipping on a South Carolina censorship battle.