Robert Cormier’s “I Am the Cheese” is apparently a YA staple, or was at one time. A quick search online reveals that our diminishing culture has caused it to become a regular assignment in older classes as well, appearing on the syllabi for freshman-level English classes, even.

And that’s because it’s a good book. As an introduction to unreliable narrators, allusion, critical thinking about government, formalistic experimentation, character development, pacing, conflict resolution, bullies, the effects of prescription drugs, stranger danger and other beginner’s lessons for life and literature, it’s a strong piece of writing. If you’re above the age of 13, however, and it brings anything new to your life, I’d be worried . . .

Except me. I had a key gap in my knowledge that greatly diminished my enjoyment of the book. It’s possible that I didn’t have this gap at the age at which I should’ve read it. It’s a simple little thing: “The Farmer in the Dell.” I only knew the first two verses. You need to know them all. And now I know, and knowing is half the battle.

Just remember that this book is for kids. Smart kids. Smart kids in the ‘70s, specifically, so some of it is a bit dated. There aren’t a lot of kids these days going around talking about how they have to go to the “john,” for example. Which this kid does a lot, for some reason. He always has to go to the john. Not just the bathroom. Johnny john john. That was the only annoying little quirk in the prose that I got hung up on.

The troubled hero seems mostly appropriate for modern readers. He’s less of a troublemaker than the other young characters at least, although those are limited to three cookie-cutter bullies and a love interest. The latter is a self-described mischief maker, and she engages in the kind of mildly destructive hijinks that people overreact to these days (although they are genuinely annoying and not as charming as the author seems to think).

The romance, such as it is, is perhaps a little squalid and straightforward. I could see an uptight parent getting squeamish about our hero getting to second base without a long diversion about whatever the current social concerns about such things are. But then, they might also have a problem with a young hero who shows this degree of independence in the first place.

Otherwise, the novel proceeds in a brisk, direct, coherent way toward its circular ending. Some might view it as a cheap cop out, but these clichés exist for a reason, and this is as good a primer for this type of story as any. As a kid, it would’ve blown my mind.

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“He was intrigued by the power of words, not the literary words that filled the books in the library but the sharp, staccato words that went into the writing of news stories. Words that went for the jugular. Active verbs that danced and raced on the page.”
― Robert Cormier, I Am the Cheese

I read this in school and it made such an impact on me I could shiver just thinking about it.

I looked for this book for years due to my forgetting the title. Maybe that was subconsciously on purpose as it is one of the most depressing books I've ever read. That doesn't mean it isn't good! I saw another reviewer said something about what were they thinking making this a school assignment. I could kind of understand that.

Some of the best literature I've read during my High school and college says that was required. Among those are 1984, The Lottery, An Incident at Owl Creek Bridge, The Light in the Forest, The Color Purple and many more I am sure I am forgetting.

I am the Cheese is one I am not sure I'd have read otherwise so I guess that's a good thing. If you happen to be thinking of reading this try to start the book in a decent mood because it is so morose.
It was a gr eat read though. Not sure I will reread but it gets 4.5 stars from me anyway. ( )

Check out my review at: http://shannonsbookbag.blogspot.com/2011/11/i-am-cheese-robert-cormier.html ( )

I am not sure how this book escaped me in childhood. Fabulous book that I will read again. The one thing I would say is if you are at all interested in reading this book -- do not read the reviews/description of this book.. I entered in to reading this with the most basic idea of the story (A boy is pedaling on his old bike by himself from one city to another with a package for his dad.) I would have not gotten to enjoy this story unfolding had I known more than that. This book should be on every YA must-read list, and my 14yo doesn't know it yet, but this will be on his end-of-summer reading list. :) ( )

Adam's fragile world is shattered when he learns the secret of his family's past. Told in alternating descriptions of his life, transcriptions of an interview in a sanatorium, and a crucial, impulsive bike ride. The chronology is not clear, and the reader must be content to be as confused and frustrated as Adam is. For the patient reader, though, the payoff is fantastic, and will likely have you turning immediately back to the beginning to reread and see how the pieces all fall together.

Due to the sophisticated narrative structure, I'd recommend this one for high school students.

An aside: I have just begun reading The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci, and I am already seeing fantastic similarities. Watch this, um, that space. ( )