I Am the Cheese

Cormier, Robert. I Am the Cheese. Random House Children’s Books (1977). ISBN 0-440-94060-5

Plot Summary

                Adam is riding his bike from Monument, MA to Rutterburg, MA to see his father.  Along the way he encounters several obstacles and interesting people.  A group of rowdy teenagers runs him and his bike off the road.  A kind old man and his wife give him a ride to the next town.  A young hooligan tries to steal his bike and an inn he thought for sure would be open is now abandoned and decrepit. 

Interspersed with the bike adventures are interviews with Adam during an unknown time and place.  During these interviews, Adam and the interviewer delve into the past trying to help Adam remember how he came to be where he is.  The interviews take a surprising turn when Adam starts to remember how events unfolded, but will he be able to cope with what he finds? 

Critical Evaluation

                I Am the Cheese is a very interesting read and one that keeps the reader’s attention.  Because the format switches from the current bike riding adventure and therapy sessions, interest never drops off.  The therapy sessions bring up background story and are slowly filling in the gaps as to why Adam is taking this journey in the first place. 

                It’s interesting how nothing seems amiss in the story until Adam finally calls Amy’s number and the guy says no Amy lives there and hasn’t for at least 4 years.  The reader starts to get suspicious about what is really going on in the story.  The full picture isn’t revealed until the final pages and it all makes sense.  There is something to be said about the feeling of betrayal readers might feel when they realize their narrator is not reliable at all and they’ve just read the book as if this was happening in reality instead of inside of someone’s head. 

                That being said, this is the kind of plot twist that no one will see coming.  And that kind of writing is what makes this book, and Cormier, amazing.

Reader’s Annotation

Sometimes a bike ride is just a bike ride but sometimes a bike ride opens up an avenue to the past that no one is quite prepared to face.

Author Information

Robert Cormier tends to write in a very pessimistic way.  His books do not usually leave the reader feeling warm and fuzzy, but he that is because he writes about the gritty reality of life.  Information about Cormier and a FAQ section can be found at http://www.ipl.org/div/askauthor/Cormier.html.

Genre

Classic

Book Talking Ideas

Maybe talk about the idea of reality and what makes something “real.”  Mentioning the fact that this book is nothing as it appears to be and just when the reader thinks they know everything, they find out they know nothing. 

Reading Level/Interest Age

12/12

Challenge Issues

Mental illness is the only real challenge I can see coming for this book, and even that would be a stretch.  The fact that the whole bike ride is in his head isn’t disturbing.  Plenty of people who don’t have a mental illness make up stories in their heads.  But, if it had to be done, a way to support this book staying on shelves would be to talk to the challengers and help them see that many kids and teenagers struggle with mental issues, even if they are minor problems.  Reading about a mental illness will not result in the reader getting that illness.

Why Include This Title?

Robert Cormier is a huge name in YA literature.  For that reason, this book is included.  It is also one of his less shocking books and that is why I wanted to include this one.