Heroes Hardcover educational edition (NEW LONGMAN LITERATURE 11-14) - Hardcover

Cormier, Robert

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 140586396X ISBN 13: 9781405863964

Publisher: Longman, 2007

Synopsis

When Francis Cassavant returns to his home town, his face horribly disfigured during World War II, he is tormented by memories of the conflict. People believe him to be a teenage war hero, not realising that his act of ‘heroism’ was in fact a suicide attempt. Back home, Francis has a mission – to get revenge on the youth leader he idolised, but betrayed him. And he’s prepared to do whatever it takes.

 

What are the themes?

Heroism, conflict, struggle against evil, guilt, forgiveness, loneliness, loyalty.

 

Teaching points

This short novel, with its gripping plot and engaging themes, is accessible to a wide range of abilities. Provides excellent opportunities for exploring structure and narrative viewpoint.

 

About this title

Review:

Eighteen-year-old Francis Cassavant has returned from world war two an unwilling hero. Although he can still see and hear, a grenade has blown away his nose, his ears, his teeth and his cheeks, effectively leaving him faceless. Hiding his ghastly wounds with bandages and a white silk scarf, Francis welcomes the anonymity his mutilation brings him, for he has returned to his hometown with a secret mission--a plot for revenge (against his enemy Larry LaSalle) that he values more than his own life. Francis's eerily matter-of-fact acceptance of his hideous mien, along with his sweetness and selflessness, contrast sharply with his obsessive need for vengeance. No one recognizes him as the quiet kid who once loved Nicole Renard and hung out with fellow teens at the Wreck Centre. LaSalle, formerly a charismatic youth leader, has also come back from the war a hero, and only Francis knows the dark side of this older man's concern for young people. But does LaSalle's one evil act outweigh all the good he has done? And is Francis just as guilty because he could have prevented it and didn't?

Robert Cormier--winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award and many other honours--has once again crafted a riveting yarn of psychological suspense. Francis's story is revealed only gradually in hints that keep the reader guessing. Young teens will find it a quick and absorbing read, and older adolescents (and full-fledged adults, too) will relish pondering the many-sided ethical questions Cormier raises about heroism, guilt and forgiveness. (Ages 13 to 16)

Review:

"[A] powerhouse novel . . . that will follow the reader long after the story has ended."
--"Booklist"
"Cormier's . . . story will hold fans from the first page to the last."
--"Publisher Weekly," starred
"Powerful."
--"VOYA," starred

About this edition

• Publisher: Longman
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 140586396X
• ISBN 13: 9781405863964
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 112