Cheerleader: Ready? Okay!

by Elissa Stein

We've got spirit. Yes we do!
And that's not all they've got. How about those pleated skirts. Those matching sweaters. The pom-poms, megaphones, and spirit sticks -- cheerleaders really do have it all. And here to prove it is Cheerleader , a peppy tribute to the glory and pageantry of cheerleading. Positively packed with all things cheer-related, Cheerleader harks back to the days when entire communities swarmed the stands to witness the game-day spectacle with cheerleaders at the forefront -- pinnacles of perk and poise. Featuring over 100 vintage images, chapters on cheerleading's history, fashion, and cult status, and sections on boy cheerleaders, mascots, and majorettes, this colorful compendium shows that school spirit will always be at the height of fashion. Ready? Okay!

Genres: Nonfiction

128 pages, Hardcover

Published July 22, 2004

About the author

ELISSA STEIN’S most current book is FLOW: the Cultural Story of Menstruation. She lived her publishing dream-come-true night with a launch party at Rizzoli's on 57th Street that The New Yorker wrote about the next day. Previous projects include NYC adventures with kids, interactive thank you notes, and labor support for parents-to-be, along with visual histories of iconic pop culture—two of which were featured in Entertainment Weekly’s Must Have list. In addition to writing, she runs her own graphic design business. To balance the above, she practices yoga, knits with enthusiasm, and shops for vintage coats on ebay. She lives in New York City with her husband Jon and their two children.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

The history of cheerleading is presented through insightful stories and vintage pictures. Did you know that men were the 'first' cheerleaders (leaders of 'cheering' for the home team) but then women took it over and made it what it has become today - an iconic part of sports at every level.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

While in a small town book store, I was drawn to this book because it was different than the usual offerings. The front cover looks like the cheer pictures of my youth, yet the book is delightfully full of vintage photos. It's a quick, fun read. An informative and interesting history of cheerleading. This book is so well written that I was flooded with memories---of making the cheer team when I was 13 and suddenly being esteemed as a rockstar at school! I had definitely made it in the eyes of most my peers. And then by my 15th birthday assessing who I was surrounded with (arrogant girls who looked down on everybody else) and not wanting to be one of them anymore. What this book makes me think (other than "Wow--the author did a great job putting this altogether.") is how we really ought to pursue things in life that bring us joy and not the false ideas we can get on what "making it" means.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of fun vintage photos of cheerleaders. The 70s hairdos are a riot!

[TrumanCoyote · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, it looks like Elissa Stein has at least 9 friends & relatives here. (lol) The good folks at Stepford Press have brought you this latest installment from the Land of the Airhead. It's like the guys who came up with all those mental hygiene films in the 1950s decided to go into publishing. Geez, no wonder everybody hates cheerleaders...and the only reason I didn't give this thing 1 star was because some of the illustrations were cool (especially the vintage ads).

[_paegan_ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this cute little offbeat book yesterday and read it through to the end. Filled with fun little facts on the history, fashion, and people involved in the world of cheerleading. Though I was a cheerleader from Pop Warner through Varsity, there was still many things for me to learn.