Bibliographic
Information
Leverage by
Joshua C. Cohen. Dutton Juvenile. (2011).
Price: $17.99 for hardback
Pages: 304 for hardback
Plot Summary
Danny Meehan is a talented high school gymnast who is determined
to go to college on a full-ride gymnastics scholarship in order to prove to his
father that gymnastics is worthwhile. One of the hardest workers on the team,
Danny resents new recruit Ronnie as Danny and Ronnie are constantly being
compared to one another as they are both quite small. While Ronnie wishes to be
a good athlete he is also sensitive and a bit naïve making Danny shy away from
him. But perhaps the ultimate reason why Danny doesn’t like Ronnie is because
the jocks on the football team constantly bully and tease the two of them.
Transfer student Kurt Brodsky is, like Danny, a
hard-working athlete although he is easily three times Danny’s size as Kurt is
a football player. Plucked from an ill-funded high school Kurt knows that if he works hard
he can make a name for himself at his new school and forget his troubled past.
Bounced around the foster care system Kurt has finally landed into a home
which, while not ideal, is his best one yet. As such, Kurt is willing to do
almost anything to ensure that he gets a shot at a good college.
Danny and Kurt form a strange friendship when Kurt sees
Danny performing a daring move at a gymnastics meet and decides that he would
like to learn how to perform a backflip. Danny agrees to teach him knowing that
having a brawny football player on your side is always a good thing. While
their friendship solidifies things become progressively worse for Danny as
three star football players are determined to make his life miserable. Things
reach a tipping point when one day Danny and Kurt see them commit an
unspeakably evil act against Ronnie. Now they must decide whether to speak up
and risk their reputations and lives or to let things lie.
Critical
Evaluation
While difficult to get through Leverage provides a story that needs to be told. Although the
stories of female rape seem to be constantly in the public eye those of male rape
are not. As such, it is important that books, like Leverage, are written on the topic so that people can become more
educated on the matter and help prevent future rapes. It can certainly be
argued that Leverage is unnecessarily
graphic but if it were not so I believe many readers would be confused over the
abuse suffered by Ronnie, Danny, and Bruce especially as there are plenty of
people who believe that male rape is nigh impossible. As a result, the details
in Leverage serve the purpose of
letting people know what situations can lead to male rape and what it is.
However, while the novel centers on a rape scene there are other important
scenes in the book as well. Kurt’s journey is intriguing as he must decide
whether or not to speak up when he is only now starting to have a relatively
normal life. In speaking up he knows that not only will he have to confront his
horrific past but that the student body will most likely learn of it as well.
Danny’s journey is equally interesting as he tries to convince his father that
his passion for gymnastics is legitimate. Danny must walk the fine line of
being part of a team while avoiding the bigger, abusive jocks in the locker
room. He, too, is afraid to speak up as he is knows that if he should what was
done to his teammate will also be done to him.
Perhaps one of the most important (and rare) elements in Leverage is the relationship between
Kurt, a powerfully built star football player, and Danny, a small gymnast.
Together, the two of them form a bond as they both appreciate each other’s
athletic prowess, ethics, and friendship. Cohen has created one of those rare
YA sports novels that shows that football players can be more than brutal,
stupid thugs while also showing the value of other lesser-known sports. Ultimately,
while Leverage might not be for
everyone it is an important book that will interest plenty of readers,
particularly male athletes.
Reader’s
Annotation
When a series of cruel pranks escalates, causing the
suicide of a ninth grade student, the up-and-coming star football player Kurt
and dedicated gymnast Danny must decide whether or not to speak up.
About the
Author
First time novelist Joshua C. Cohen was inspired to write
Leverage when he read a news story
about victims of abuse being turned on for reporting it. He originally wanted to
be a professional gymnast but realized in college that he didn’t have the
proper body type for the sport. He is currently a professional dancer and actor
touring with famous companies like MOMIX.
To learn more about Joshua Cohen visit his website here.
Genre
Realistic fiction, Sports story
Readalikes
Raiders Night by
Robert Lipsyte
·
Also about football players covering up abuse
Stupid Fast by
Geoff Herbach
·
Another YA book about football although less
dark than Leverage
Payback Time by
Carl Deuker
·
A YA mystery involving a football player
Tags
10th grade, abuse in foster care, favoritism,
football, foster care, goth, gymnastics, high school, male rape, Minnesota, rape,
single father, stuttering
Awards
Won/Lists On
2011—Cybils Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction
2012—YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults
Professional
Reviews
Booklist
(starred review)
School Library Journal
Booktalk Ideas
Kurt is Told That…
·
Football team will take care of him (22)
·
Homecoming inspires hope in others (105)
·
But what’s the truth?
We need to take matters into our own hands, says Bruce
(61)
Gymnastics is a team sport too! (73, 75)
Bibliotherapeutic
Usefulness
This could be used to help teens who have lost a friend
due to suicide as well as those that have experienced severe bullying, torture,
and rape. It could also be used to educate teens on what constitutes male rape.
Reading
Level/Interest Level
Reading Level: 5th grade
Interest Level: 9th-12th grade
These levels are according to AR Bookfinder
Challenge
Issues
This book includes the following potentially
controversial elements:
·
Abusive father
·
Adult buying teens alcohol
·
Adults encouraging steroid use
·
Alcoholic father
·
Attempted murder
·
Bullying
·
Ethnic slurs
·
Favoritism between sons
·
Homosexual slurs
·
Mention of sex
·
Police officer physically abusing a teen &
using intimidation tactics
·
Profanity
·
Racial slurs
·
Rape
·
Shooting guns while intoxicated
·
Single father
·
Special treatment for football players
·
Steroid use
·
Suicide
·
Torture
·
Underage drinking
Librarians can point out that while this book contains a
multitude of controversial elements it also shows some football players in a
positive light (such as Terrence and Kurt) which seems to be rare in YA
literature. Additionally it contains a positive male role model in the form of
Coach Nelson and discusses the importance of friendship and standing up for
what is right.
Why Was This
Included?
I read this because I was on a reconsideration committee
for it however I was also interested in reading more about the world of sports
as I have never participated on sports teams.
