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Tenderness Reader's Companion Packet
This Reader's Companion includes a biography of Cormier, an interview with him, a summary of Tenderness, and suggested discussion questions. Included with the companion is a promotional letter from the editor, Craig Virden, who talks about the…
Delacorte Books for Young Readers Reading Group Guide
This draft version of Delacorte Press's reading guide for Robert Cormier's novel Tenderness presents the final 16 discussion questions and five others that were not selected for the publisher's Reader's Companion. The questions range from fairly…
"Try a Little Tenderness" Boston Magazine
This profile of Cormier investigates his life and work, with a specific focus on his recent visit to Judge John J. Connelly Youth Service Center, a Roslindale youth lockdown for boys. Keeping his interactions with troubled youth to the fore, the…
"Author tranforms 'youth' genre" Telegram
This profile of Robert Cormier describes how his unflinching look at culture is drawing in new young adult readers. The article also addresses the controversy surrounding his books, especially The Chocolate War. Much of the profile discusses…
"Writer's work travels far" Telegram
This 1997 article in the Telegram chronicles Cormier's early life growing up in Leominster, from his father's work in the plastic factory and his untimely death, to his beginnings as a writer, through his ultimate success of The Chocolate War and I…
Robert Cormier's email to Paul Swaddle 12 February 1999
Cormier responds to the "In Brief" team's follow-up questions, He sees the challenges of honest storytelling as timeless; he describes his adolescence as normal with "pits and peaks"; and he finds it difficult to put into words his affinity for…
Paul Swaddle's email to Robert Cormier 11 February 1999
In this e-mail, the "In Brief" team asks Cormier some follow-up interview questions after making their initial inquiries eight days earlier. They ask about modern challenges, Cormier's own adolescent baggage, and request further elaboration on his…
Robert Cormier's email to Fiona, Gudrun, Lucy, and Paul 4 February 1999
In this response to the interview questions from the "In Brief" team, Cormier discusses his love of words, the politically conservative climate, the horror of the commonplace, and his admiration of other writers, especially Graham Greene. The topics…
Paul Swaddle's email to Robert Cormier 3 February 1999
This e-mail presents a series of interview questions to Cormier from the Waterstones "In Brief" team out of Newcastle. Questions cover several topics including Cormier's journalism experience, Frenchtown, adolescence, large institutions, controversy,…
"An Interview with Robert Cormier" New Hampshire College Journal
In this lengthy interview, Cormier discusses topics ranging from his early school writing, influential teachers, childhood traumas, autobiographical components of his writing, the young adult label, fear of large institutions, censorship,…
"Interview Robert Cormier" Ohio Journal of the English Language Arts
In this wide-ranging interview Cormier, later joined by his editor Craig Virden, discusses several topics related to his writing process, from his own writing role models (Ernest Hemingway and Thomas Wolfe) to the particulars of how organizes his…
"St. Cecilia's Parish 1999-2000 Portrait of a Parich"
This article praises Cormier's work compiling a history of his home parish St. Cecilia's. Notably, this article presents a more circumspect account of Cormier's house burning when he was in the eighth grade, his use of St. Cecilia's for Monument's…
"Robert Cormier meets Melvin Burgess" Achuka Special
This piece is an edited conversation between Cormier and fellow young adult writer Melvin Burgess. Like Cormier, Burgess doesn't shy away from the dark side of growing up in books like Junk, which deals with heroin addiction. The facilitator asks…
"Robert Cormier London, July 2000" Achuka Special
In this piece, Cormier recounts the "excruciating" experience of being bullied but counterbalances this terror with his serene picture of family life. Featuring prominently are comments on his father's work in the comb factories, his Irish and French…
"On this day" Mass Moments
This brief sketch celebrates Cormier's life and accomplishments on his birthday. Campbell comments on how such a kind man can write such dark novels because evil appears in all places, which Cormier took note of even in his small neighborhood of…