Book Review

Cheer! (2008)

EW's GRADE
B+

Details Release Date: Mar 11, 2008; Writer: Kate Torgovnick; Genres: Nonfiction, Sports; Publisher: Touchstone

GIMME A B...PLUS! Kate Torgovnick followed three college cheerleading squads for a season in the sometime repetitive but often compelling... | Cheer!
GIMME A B...PLUS! Kate Torgovnick followed three college cheerleading squads for a season in the sometime repetitive but often compelling Cheer!

Fans of Bring It On will find much to cheer about in Kate Torgovnick's meticulously reported account of the often-mocked but fascinating world of cheerleading. Following three different college cheer teams over a season, Torgovnick offers some not-so-shocking revelations (injuries and eating disorders are frequent) as well as a few true surprises: Most male cheerleaders, she reports, are staunchly heterosexual (''In fact, it's a culture of manly men — the kind who lift weights, drink beer, and butt heads''). While Cheer! can be repetitive — enough with the human pyramids! — it's compelling and definitely worthy of a herkie. B+

Originally posted Mar 14, 2008 Published in issue #983 Mar 21, 2008 Order article reprints

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