The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier - Part One

I chose The Chocolate War (TCW) because it has made the Top Ten Banned List for the past 10 years. It piqued my interest and going on preconceived notions (knowing nothing about the book), I assumed it would be a guy's perspective Gossip Girl book (Gossip Girl books permeate the list).
What jumped out at me when I began reading was the original publication date. 1974. Parent groups are wringing their hands over a book that 30 + years old. Honestly now. It's an old book and it shows. The setting is a Catholic all boys high school in the 70s. They reference marijuana often but they call it 'grass' which is such an antiquated Baby Boomer term that it makes me laugh. Reminds me of how my grandparents called their couch a davenport and my grandma's robe was a 'housecoat'. TCW has powerful concepts but the power of the concepts is definitely weakened significantly by dated terminology. It's pretty difficult to see an impressionable teen taking the book seriously or viewing it admirably when they know marijuana by the name grass.
The plot of the book revolves around the idea of bullying which is an issue that has been at the forefront of the media and an issue that I have strong feelings about (another reason I chose this book). But it addresses how bullying can be found at every level of society and how no one is really exempt from dealing with it in one way or another. Within the social stratosphere of the Catholic high school is a gang made of students who issue edicts to their classmates which must be obeyed even at high personal consequence. TCW is full of different perspectives, mostly from the students who are your typical Catholic school guys. Some of them are 'masters of their domains', some of them aren't. Women's role in the book is one in the background, part of the scenery and purely objectified. But nothing out of the ordinary for classic literature, just watered down misogyny at its blandest. Maybe sexual self exploration is what parents take issue with but unlike American Pie, it's not part of the main or even secondary storylines. It's stated matter-of-factly like the sky is blue and the book moves on.