The Cheer Leader (Front Porch Paperbacks) [Paperback]

Jill McCorkle (Author)

Book Description

Series: Front Porch Paperbacks | Publication Date: September 30, 2003

Jo Spencer is a girl who knows what to be and how to be it-straight-A student, cheerleader, May Queen, popular and cute and virginal, and in perfect control. But halfway through her first year in college in the early seventies, her carefully normal life explodes and she comes completely undone. In The Cheerleader, Jo Spencer looks back, as if she were watching reruns of old syndicated TV shows, to figure out what happened.

Ordinary chance has dumped Sam Swett, age twenty-one, in the Marshboro, North Carolina, Quik Pik in the middle of a murder. Sam has shaved his head, given away all his belongings except his typewriter; he's drunker than he's ever been and running as fast as he can from his upper-middle-class upbringing. For the next twenty-four hours, Sam is propelled straight into the very core of this small Southern town as it sorts through the facts.

Editorial Reviews

Review

" A strong and subtle novel about a young woman's struggle to reveal her own reality." -- Los Angeles Times

"She's a born storyteller." -- Chicago Tribune

From the Publisher

8 1-hour cassettes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Algonquin Books (September 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565120019
• ISBN-13: 978-1565120013
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #826,556 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gripping story, April 16, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cheer Leader (Front Porch Paperbacks) (Paperback)

I found this book at my local used book store. I was a little hesitant to buy it because I was afraid it would your typical teenage agnst story. But for only four dollars, what was there to lose? I was in for a surprise and a real treat! This book not only captures the teenage insecurities that most of us have felt, or are feeling, but it also captures that nervous, excited, almost panicked feeling a lot of us get after graduating high school, and moving on into the "real" world. The book was unique in many many ways. The first third of the book was the main character describing a history of her life by describing pictures she had found, and giving a short story for each one. The second section, told from her point of view, gave the reader insight into her high school life, dealing with peer pressure, school, and dating. In the third part of the book, she begins college, and also begins to spiral out of control, and the books tone shows this. This section is told in third person, as if she is going through so much, that she feels she is watching herself from the outside. I was very impressed with the writing style and the story line. I would recommend this book to anyone.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful & haunting, July 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cheer Leader (Front Porch Paperbacks) (Paperback)

I received this book when I was going through an emotional depression. It was realistic, believable, interesting, gripping and has stayed with me for two years. Like all of McCorkle's books, a masterpiece.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the cheerleader, March 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cheer Leader (Front Porch Paperbacks) (Paperback)

This is my favorite book. i think it is extremely well-written and the plot is just intriguing. jo spencer is such a complex, yet realistic character, and i think everyone can relate to her. at first it seems as if this book could be potentially of little substance or about trivial matters, but i assure you it is not. it is just good--mostly because jo spencer is such a real, wonderful character.