The Cheer Leader

by Jill McCorkle

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.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Southern, Contemporary, Novels, American, Coming Of Age

277 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Five of Jill McCorkle's seven previous books have been named New York Times Notables. Winner of the New England Booksellers Award, the Dos Passos Prize for Excellence in Literature, and the North Carolina Award for Literature, she has taught writing at the University of North Carolina, Bennington College, Tufts University, and Harvard. She lives near Boston with her husband, their two children, several dogs, and a collection of toads.

Reviews

[Kristi Lamont · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent depiction of the nervous breakdown(s) many young women in their late teens/early 20s experience . . . or come very close to experiencing . . . timeless in many ways, but spectacularly evocative of the teenage experience of the 1970s.

This was my second book by Jill McCorkle in a week. Very frustrated that I have to get on with some basics of daily living and can't start on the next one until probably tomorrow night!

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this amazing book in one evening. I felt the author reached back into my own high school years and yanked out my own memories.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

McCorkle explored the unraveling of a teenage girl who appeared to be successful by all conventional measures - intelligent, popular, athletics, and attractive. The author brought readers through the difficulty of trying to find an identity without the benefit of wisdom or perspective. The main character fell further than most young women experience, but the author captured emotions that are easily identifiable to most women who survived adolescence. By using shifts in narrator perspective, the author emphasized the disconnection the main character experienced in relation to her own life, resulting in a novel that was both accessible and creative.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably as close as I'm ever going to feel to "flowering into womanhood" as it is often referred to? I don't pretend to know how good or bad a term that is for the process. But I digress. An amazing read that proves that Mary Tyler Moore was right. We are going to make it after all.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe that I never read this before. I absolutely loved it.

[Mirav · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I actually completed reading this novel quite some time ago, but am only posting my review now...) ;-) I felt this is a very well-written -- as well as psychologically compelling -- book: The author has an amazing way of 'making' the reader 'feel'/ understand the emotions the protagonist is experiencing (as well as subtle -- and also some not-so-subtle -- changes in mood and psychological 'state') simply through the 'tone', phrasing, and word choice of the character's thoughts/ inner dialogue. Also, I found myself truly caring about the protagonist -- and even feeling real concern and angst, at certain points -- as she endures and lives through certain difficult (and even almost tragic, in one particular instance) life experiences. I also like the suggestion/ indication that 'in the end', it appears she'll 'be OK' (has survived, and is moving on/ forward in a more positive direction)... :-)

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. Jill McCorkle hits the mark with this coming of age story of teenager Jo who tries to blend in, be a good girl, do the right things during rapidly changing times of the early 1970's. Jo wishes for another time (1950's?) when the rules were spelled out and you followed them and no one had the confusing grey areas of sex, drugs and rock and roll. Unfortunately, life has moved on and Jo struggles with figuring out the new paths and the book rapidly describes her mental break during the summer before and her first year in college. It was just heartbreaking to read. I think all of us have felt many of the emotions and uncertainty and wish to fit in that Jo feels. McCorkle does a great job describing the emotions and actions Jo feels and takes.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a testament to the strength of Jill McCorkle’s early writing that it is so painful for the reader to witness college freshman Jo Spencer coming completely undone during her first year in college in North Carolina in the mid- to late 1970s. The product of a stable and loving home environment, and a popular and good student, Jo falls in love with a young man from the wrong side of the tracks. The demise of that problematic relationship is her trigger. This is a powerful and disturbing story.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I found this at a Little Free Library, I thought it would be shallow, escapist reading. Instead, I found a beautiful, honest and realistic look at youth, mental illness and life that transcends generations. Yes, it's very dated now. But it's still very well-written and Jo Spencer is an enormously likable, yet complex character.

[Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is a nice writing style but must admit I just found it too disturbing to like it. I only finished it because I was hoping to learn she recovered enough to at least be able to think rationally, function somewhat normally and establish some satisfying relationships in her life.

[Kayla Bare · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book perfectly captures those childhood and teenage emotions that you didn’t think anybody else knew about, and it perfectly captures growing up as a girl. It feels timeless and magical and I couldn’t put it down. I adore this book.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listening to the audio in one's 50's is a different experience than reading the paperback in one's 20's. It stands the test of time!

[Bibliomama · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were times I really thought I was reading my own story. But maybe every one is just as messed up as everyone else.

[Kevin Stringer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Required reading this week in my Southern Lit class.

[Ellis Billington · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been ruminating on this book for a couple weeks between finishing it and reviewing it, ruminating in the best way possible. What lingers for me is how real this felt, how well the author brings you into the mind of a girl teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown, then falling over and being picked back up again. It was at times visceral and hard to read for how real it felt. I’ll definitely be seeking out more from this author when I feel emotionally ready.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my all time favorite books. I used to re-read it every year but I hadn't read it in ages and was interested to see if I'd still love it as much as I always had. I'm so happy to see that it's absolutely as good as I remember it. The perfect coming of age novel. I laughed, I cried, and I have thought of this book every time I've worn sunglasses for the last 30 years. I'm definitely giving this to my daughter when she's old enough to get it.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many years ago, I picked up a book of short stories by Jill McCorkle. I am normally not a short story reader, but I absolutely loved that book. I went on to read every single book in McCorkle's anthology, and for years after, if anyone asked who my favorite author was, I would respond without hesitation, "Jill McCorkle."

I saw recently that McCorkle had published a new collection of short stories, but before reading it, I decided to go back and re-read some of the McCorkle books in my book collection, starting with this one. The first time I read this book, I adored it. I could really identify with the main character, which is sad when you consider that it's about a girl who goes crazy. But I could understand her desire to "be fit," to fit in, and to see being Most Popular Girl as a disguise so that she wouldn't have to expose her real self.

Now that I'm long past those tumultuous growing up years, I didn't feel as drawn into Jo's story as I did when I was younger. I'm pretty sure that it's a good thing when you don't identify so much with people who go crazy, but it's also kind of sad to pick up a book you used to love and discover that you don't love it so much anymore.

[Garry Walton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most hip and with-it of my colleagues in the Meredith College English department knew at once that Jill McCorkle's The Cheer Leader would be a hit among the young students at our women's college, and she was right. Having never envisioned making the transition from good girl to bad girl, much less experiencing it, I felt ill equipped to lead my freshmen in a discussion of the book and resisted assigning it for a decade. But when I finally did, they devoured it, grateful that a perceptive young local writer knew them well enough to tell their story of growing up in a small North Carolina town and facing the excitement and trauma of leaving home to start over at college. If their lives did not encompass the highs (good student, popular cheerleader) or lows (abusive first love, academic crash, depression, anorexia) experienced by Jo Spencer, they all had friends that had trod one of those paths. Even closer to home, they all had hazy dreams and vivid nightmares of Jo's experiences. If this book reads too much like a promising first novel by a precocious young writer, it is perfect for a new generation of college women ready for their own Bell Jar.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Tiny Pants · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of McCorkle's two debut novels published simultaneously in 1984, The Cheerleader is a flood of pure character. Jo Spenser documents her young life from before it even began through a disastrous first love to the harrowing breakdown during her freshman year of college. What impressed me most was how the author really put Jo out there hovering over the abyss and then reeled her back in. All I could think was "this really happens." People really do lose it sometimes and it doesn't necessarily mean they need to be taken away in a white coat. They just need . . . help.

[Carrah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a strong character--Jo Spencer--who wants a perfect life. She does obtain it; she's perfect in high school, the cheif cheer leader, has popular friends, becomes May Qeen. It is set in North Carolina, and captures innocence, pain, hardship, joy, and aching love--some of the things living in a small southern town exposes one to.

I loved this book because it had a touch of everything that was familiar, and yet explored new territory. It is worth reading.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in one sitting, so I felt like I really got to know Jo Spencer's story and point of view from start to finish. The unraveling of a high school "it" girl is something that doesn't happen all the time, but certainly wasn't suprising when it did in this book. Mccorkle speaks to the idea that we can try to hold all the pieces together on the inside in order to look perfect on the outside, but this carefully constructed house of cards can easily come tumbling down.

[Diana Townsend · Rating 2 out of 5]

My two stars for this book are very generous. I could not get into this book no matter how hard I tried. I finished it, but it was a painful job. The writing is not bad, that's not the case at all. The main thing is, I found myself constantly wondering, "what the hell is the point of this story?". I mean, when I finished I just felt confused and disappointed, like my time with Jo had been wasted.

[Kristie · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I realized this book had first been published in 1984, I started to just put it away. I am so glad I didn't! This isn't the best book I've ever read, but it is the only book I have ever read that the author could have picked straight from my brain! Now, this admits I am a bit crazy, but I honestly could have let the author into my head and this is what would have come out of it! This is one of the most profoundly honest books I have ever read.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joslyn Marie Spencer. Jo with a "J," not a "G," which would be "Go." I wouldn't call her a hero (even the "daily, ordinary" kind), and I don't wholly believe her ins and outs, however, the book was an interesting read. Completely fascinating in its oddness. Notable is how Mccorkle changed voice from first to third to omniscient and back again often and without measured rhyme or reason.

[MissAnnThropy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read this book since my pre-teen days, so I have no idea how it actually holds up. I remember it as being perhaps the best account of adolescent mental illness I have read, up with I Never Promised You A Rose Garden. (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45...)

[SA SuSu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jill McCorkle is a sorority sister, which is what prompted me to seek her books. This is a dark story that perfectly captures a woman's coming of age. I felt very connected to the narrator and very sad for her.

[Sue Duronio · Rating 3 out of 5]

THis was a pretty entertaining coming-of-age story of a teen girl who becomes unraveled when she gets to college. I like Jill's writing alot, just didn't feel totally overwhelmed or invested in this character.