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Illustrated portrait of Carl Block

A character in The Wave

Carl Block

Carl is an investigative reporter for The Gordon Grapevine and one of the school’s practical jokers.

The book

Cover of The Wave by Todd Strasser
The WaveTodd Strasser, 1981

A classroom experiment shows how quickly discipline, slogans, symbols, and belonging can replace judgment.

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Who they are in the book

Spoiler-free

Carl is an investigative reporter for The Gordon Grapevine and one of the school’s practical jokers. He never embraces the Wave and helps Laurie document intimidation and the attack on a Jewish student. His skepticism becomes useful because he is willing to treat school authority and student enthusiasm as subjects that can be investigated.

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