The Cheer Leader (2003)

Book Info

Author

Jill McCorkle

Genre

Fiction

Rating

3.68 of 5 Votes: 4

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ISBN

1565120019 (ISBN13: 9781565120013)

Language

English

Publisher

algonquin books

Shops

Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble

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About book The Cheer Leader (2003)

I started reading this coming-of-age novel in the afternoon and had to read all night to finish it. The author's story line and style compel the reader to press onward. It is easy to read.The coming-of-age novel in set in a small North Carolina town and begins with a chronology of Jo's life through photographs (pastshots.) Jo seems to have it all--She follows in her older brother's footsteps in that she is both smart and popular. She has a loving, trusting family who have given her a strong foundation of good values (rules to follow.) Jo starts cheering for her school in junior high and is a a member of the May Quuen Court and her popularity follows her through high school. She and her three girlfriends spend their summers at the local lake where the college kids and hippies also hang out in distinct groups.Often young infatuations have no reason or rhyme and Jo gets caught up in an unlikely relationship.A person can look and behave normally on the outside when in actuality things are falling apart inside.Many teenagers, young adults, parents, teachers, and counselors will be able to relate to this novel.I purchsed this book in the early 80's and just read it in preparation to hear Jill McCorkle speak at Salem College.

This was an emotional story about the pressure to conform to society's expectations and the consequence of repressing your individual interests. It takes you on a journey through two decades with a girl who creates her own rigid rules to follow and leaves you witnessing her break down as she completely loses control. I'll admit, I describe much of this book as "painful." The book itself has a great impact, however, McCorkle forces you to be a part of a girl's mental disintegration that you can easily foresee and desperately want to prevent.

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This was a random $1 find at the Japanese bookstore. I had a fuzzy idea that I liked McCorkle's short fiction, and on reading the back my husband did say it seemed like my "kind of thing." Sadly, not so much. It begins with an interesting enough set-up (though the format gets tiresome pretty quickly), then it just fizzles. The first act is just guns, guns, guns, and we eventually wind up with, well, barely even one of those flags from old Warner Bros. cartoons that says "BANG!". It was unclear why the main character did anything, and even less clear why the reader should be invested in this.
—Tiny Pants