We All Fall Down

This book is one of the most emotional and real book I have ever read. It explains why we have to be careful and extremely catiuous at times. I love this author and the books he writes. I have already read I Am The Cheese, and liked the storyline. I hope other kids get to experience it also because it's magical in it's own way.

Much like the Chocolate War, We All Fall Down deals with everyday problems teens' face in school, home, and in their personal lives. I loved how Cormier made this book accessible to teens but to adults as well. Abuse of alcohol, lies, the thought of death, and the deconstructing of family are issues that this book deals with. Cormier lets the reader see how Jane and other characters deal with these issues by writing from more than one point of view. For example, the reader can see how Jane copes with the fact her sister Karen is in a coma and might not wake up. Not only does this allow teenagers to relate to these feelings and emotions; it also connects to adults as well. They were once teenagers and have gone through the same situations as Jane, Karen, and Buddy. By reading this, adults can get a sense of what life is like for teens today and understand the reasons why teens do the things they do. It is the issues the book discusses and how the characters cope with their problems that makes this book so important to society today.

I really enjoyed this book by Robert Cormier. The characters and the plot display the evil in our everyday life. However, I thought that some of the events seemed rather unrealistic. Cormier took many different plots and brought them together in unexpected and surprising ways. The book teaches lessons about regret, love, and loyalty. I think this is a book for mature readers. It taught one major lesson: every action recieves a consequence. This message was bold and understandable for all readers. In conclusion, I really enjoyed this book by Robert Cormier because it contained all the elements of a good, suspenseful, yet tragic novel.

One would expect many problems to arise in one's life during adolescence, but never anything as twisted as the situations illustrated in this book. In this book, Robert Cormier uses a very disturbing yet absorbing plot of complicated relationships, and manages to create a story that will bother the reader's mind for weeks after reading the book. Through the use of very complex and sometimes unstable characters, Cormier shows that deception comes in many forms. One of the factors that adds to the suspense of the story and keeps the reader's attention throughout is what I call Cormier's 'split plot POV' writing style. Just as is seen in other works by this author, such as I Am the Cheese and After the First Death, he tells the fictional story through the eyes of more than one character, thus using different points of view and making it all the more interesting to read. The fast-moving chain of events also adds to the dramatic effect upon the reader. From what I've read of Cormier's works, he has a habit of unhappy, but nonetheless effective endings that leave the reader either wanting more, or wishing that they hadn't picked up the book. In my case, every time I finish one of his novels, I feel a little more sane and more human; We All Fall Down was no exception. In relating to the characters, no matter how twisted they may be, the story becomes more real to me, and the life lesson to be learned from it gains a deeper meaning. This is definitely the kind of book that encourages reading -- even in the twisted and hectic lives of adolescents.

This is one of those books whose words echo in your head for the rest of your life. You may forget the characters names, you may even forget the characters, but the essence of the book seeps into your fingers and colors your judgement. It is a subject that plagues the real world and cuts like a knife. It chills you to the bone like all of Mr Cormiers stories, and like all of them it fills you with appreciation for what you have