Heroes

Product Information

I suppose one of the things that is a deciding factor in which books get to be put on the GCSE line-up is how they are written, and in fact, the rich language used is something that all of my GCSE texts have in common, which I love. Heroes, published in 1998, is a novel written by American author Robert Cormier who is known for addressing darker subjects in his books for young adults.

Under Larry’s leadership, the children of Frenchtown flooded the Wreck Center; Larry had a special talent for making even the most quiet children feel appreciated and talented. By tearing down the mask of heroism, the book exposes the selfishness, cowardice, and malevolence that often lies underneath. Francis waits outside and stands frozen there in panic when he hears the sounds of Larry raping Nicole inside.Francis covers his entire face for the entirety so I never got a full idea of what he might look like but Cormier didn't play it down at all, instead (perhaps overly) mentioning the oozing crevices of Francis' face where his features used to be and the soaked-through bandages that filled with blood and pus. The most notable example, Larry LaSalle, enlisted in the Marines following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Distraught, Francis waited outside of Nicole’s house for days until she finally came out and angrily sent him away. For his past holds a bitter secret, one which he has vowed to revenge and which he can resolve only through his final, desperate plan: to destroy the man who betrayed him as a boy. I recommend this book to young adults because it explains what life is about, how hard it can be dealing with all the normal problems in life.

This is another one of those books which my son brought home from school, apparently it is part of his GCSE English curriculum.

When Francis is twelve years-old a new girl moves to town from Albany, New York named Nicole Renard and Francis instantly falls in love with her. The two spend a night reminiscing about the town, and Norman eventually tells Francis that Nicole and her family suddenly left Frenchtown shortly after Francis enlisted. Larry LaSalle is charismatic and popular, known for encouraging fellow townspeople to dance, play sports, and join other group activities to bring the community together. However, his luck began to change with the arrival of Larry and the opening of the town’s new recreation center, which was dubbed the “ Wreck Center” due to its shoddy refurbishment and its bloody history as the site of a wedding that turned into a mass shooting.