Why am I passionate about this?
Having been a teacher for many years, I have had the great fortune to be surrounded by young people most of my adult life. As a result, Iâve been witness to countless moments reflecting the struggles of teenagers facing various challenges in their lives. Without question, one of the most painful is having to grapple with loss, and regardless whether it involves a friend, a family member, a home, an opportunity, or any number of other misfortunes, the act of facing and rising above that loss is often character-defining. I will always be grateful to my many students whose candour and courage have both inspired me and informed my own writing.
Don's book list on grappling with loss
Why did Don love this book?
Adam, the narrator of I Am the Cheese, lost his parents in a malicious car accident and, during the course of the novel, he attempts a journey to discover the truth behind what happened to them. Published in 1977, I Am the Cheese is the very first YA story I read as a young adult that did not unfold as Iâd anticipated. The world of the novel was much darker than any Iâd encountered before in YA literature, and for the first time I realized that I couldnât necessarily believe what the first-person narrator was telling me. This was an eye-opener for me, both as a reader and as a future author who would eventually explore various ways to tell my own stories. More important, I Am the Cheese has stood the test of time, remaining as engaging (and disturbing) a read as ever.
1 author picked I Am the Cheese as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.
Before there was Lois Lowryâs The Giver or M. T. Andersonâs Feed, there was Robert Cormierâs I Am the Cheese, a subversive classic that broke new ground for YA literature.
A boyâs search for his father becomes a desperate journey to unlock a secret past. But the past must not be remembered if the boy is to survive. As he searches for the truth that hovers at the edge of his mind, the boyâand readersâarrive at a shattering conclusion.
âAn absorbing, even brilliant job. The book is assembled in mosaic fashion: a tiny chip here, a chip there. . .âŚ