I am the Cheese by Robert Cormier
Alfred K. Knopf, New York: 1977
ISBN: 0-394-83462-3

Plot Summary:
The plot of I am the Cheese is a difficult one to sum up, but I'll try. The novel starts off with Adam Farmer taking a bike ride to deliver a package to his father. We are not sure why his father is the hospital, or what is in the package. The next chapter starts with someone named Brint on a tape recorder, who we can gather is Adam's psychiatrist trying to help him remember events. When we are taken back to the bike ride, Adam starts to get flashbacks of events which led him to where he is now.

Eventually we figure out that what is taking place on Adam's bike trip is all in his head. He is merely cycling around the mental institution/confinement facility. The death of his parents has caused him to go crazy. But Brink isn't the benevolent psychiatrist he makes out to be either. Adam (or Paul Delmonte) and his family were in the witness protection program when they were killed, and Brink needs Adam to remember what happened to them. This is the third round of questioning Adam has gone through and Brink is not getting anymore information from him. Recommendations for his treatment are to either to continue his confinement until he can be killed or until he "obliterates."


Critical Evaluation:
This book blew my mind! I appreciated the complicated structure and the slow unraveling of the story. Though the end is discouraging and depressing, I believe it's a great lesson for teens to learn about trust and authority figures. The writing is clear and concise. This book was a staple in the classrooms of the middle school I taught at, but I probably wouldn't recommend this book to younger teens, since the layout of the story could get confusing, and at first the plot doesn't move quickly enough to encourage a confused reader to continue with the story.

Reader’s Annotation:
Adam Farmer needs to find out the truth about his parents and himself, but what will happen when he does?

Information about the Author:
Robert Cormier was a journalist who became a full-time novelist after the success of his first young adult novel, The Chocolate War. He was a recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for young adult literature. He passed away in 2000.

Genre: fiction, mystery

Curriculum Ties: 9th grade English


Booktalking Ideas:
I would introduce Adam as a shy, confused teenager and talk about the journey he is about to embark on--both on his bicycle and through his mind.


Reading Level/Interest Age:
I would recommend this to advanced 15-year-old readers and up.

Challenge Issues:
This book might be challenged for its themes of conspiracy and doubting authority and the implication of Adam's demise. I would give the challenger a copy of the library's selection policy and let him/her fill out a complaint form.


Why I chose this book:
This book has been on my reading list for a long time. I finally got around to reading it because I needed to in order to answer my question for the Luna discussion.