ABOUT THIS GUIDE

In Robert Cormier’s unforgettable novels, an individual often stands alone, fighting for what is right–or just to survive–against powerful, sinister, and sometimes evil people. His books look unflinchingly at tyranny and the abuse of power, at treachery and betrayal, at guilt and forgiveness, love and hate, and the corruption of innocence. Cormier’s gripping stories explore some of the darker corners of the human psyche, but always with a moral focus and a probing intelligence that compel readers to examine their own feelings and ethical beliefs.

The questions that follow are intended to spur discussion and to provoke thoughtful readers to contemplate some of the issues of identity, character, emotion, and morality that make Cormier’s books so compelling.

---

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Eugene is remembering the summer of 1938 when he was 12. He recalls his family, friends, life in a mill town, and, most important, his desire to make a connection with his distant father.

FOR DISCUSSION

1. The novel is written in free verse that condenses and intensifies emotions. How does this style of writing change your reading experience and your understanding of Eugene’s world?

2. In the first sentence of the novel, Eugene refers to “that summer in Frenchtown in the days when I knew my name but did not know who I was.” What do you think Eugene learns about himself by the end of the book?

3. When Eugene gets his first pair of glasses, he can literally see the world vividly for the first time. What can he see figuratively?

4. There is death all around Eugene throughout the novel, yet he seems shocked to learn that his father is not immortal. How do you explain this?

5. Eugene often wonders if his father loves him. What are some examples of how his father does love Eugene? How does the airplane incident at the end of the novel signify his father’s love for him?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robert Cormier’s writing is unique in its richness and power, and he was often called one of the finest young adult novelists in America. His books are brilliant and complex structures full of intricate wordplay and subtle thought.

Robert Cormier’s novels have received many awards, consistently appearing on the Best Books for Young Adults lists of the American Library Association. In 1991 he received the Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring his lifetime contribution in writing for teens, for The Chocolate War, I Am the Cheese, and After the First Death. Most recently, Frenchtown Summer was awarded the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Fiction.

Cormier lived all his life in the little New England mill town of Leominster, Massachusetts, where he grew up as part of a close, warm community of French Canadian immigrants. He and his wife, Connie, had four children and many grandchildren who lived nearby. He was for many years a newspaperman specializing in human interest stories.

The Rag and Bone Shop was the last novel completed by Cormier before his death in 2000.