Joshua C. CohenReseñas

A series of escalating pranks and a violent attack at Oregrove High create a tragic and dangerous environ - ment. But these events also bring together two very different ath - letes in a redemptive and stirring ending.

I am usually not a big sports novel fan, but I have read some very good ones in my time, so I'll never turn one away either. And this particular one blew me away...after finishing, the cover art seems perfect for the story this book tells.

Danny is an aspiring gymnast: small, shy, and perfectly willing to fly under the radar while he works toward his goal of getting a scholarship to escape the town of Oregrove. His new classmate Kurt Brodsky is a scarred, hulking giant, destined to be the new star player on the football team. On the outside, the two of them couldn't be more different.

But as the year progresses, so does an escalating war between Danny and his gutsy teammates and the Oregrove football team. A war that begins in pranks of ego and revenge and escalates into a nightmare of cruelty no one could have imagined. And when they find themselves the sole bearers of the terrible truth, the star fullback with a horrific past and the timid gymnast terrified of speaking up will form an alliance that is the only hope to ensuring justice is done.

The characters are so real, and that's probably what hooks you into the book from the first page. The narrative voices of both Danny and Kurt could come from any high school boy. They make you feel deeply and powerfully for them every step of the way, and even when you don't like the way they act you empathize and understand them. The supporting characters are likewise great and realistic; not all of them are admirable or perfect, but they remind you of people you know, and you get startlingly attached to them. This was one of those books that gave me physical reactions while reading, that's how into it I was. I rooted so strongly for the characters I liked that my breathing changed during triumphant and suspenseful parts, and I despised the antagonists so intensely at times that it made my stomach burn and a bitter taste come to my mouth.

This novel was terrible and beautiful; the scenarios it portrayed were sickening, triumphant, and possible. It didn't need any romance or contrived teen angst. It was just one amazing, straightforward story of two young men determined to stop the terror being carried out unpunished in their own school, and discover something about themselves in the process.

Danny may be a rising gymnastics star, but to the rest of the school, he's just the runt that gets picked on. He, and his other teammates are the constant target of the school's football stars. The two teams engage in a prank war that escalates and escalates, until something horrific happens to one of Danny's teammates. However, Kurt Brodsky, a new recruit for the school's football team, comes to their unlikely rescue, and becomes an unlikely ally. Told from the alternating points of view of Danny and Kurt, Leverage paints a realistic and difficult to digest picture of high school sports, one that isn't often talked about.

Usually, I don't read sports novels, and this one took a while for me to get into. To me, it was kind of slow moving at the beginning, and I honestly wasn't really sure where the novel as a whole was headed. However, once I got to the middle of the novel, I started getting into it, because I had learned more about the characters and cared more about them. However, I did get kind of annoyed the way the author kept hinting at Kurt's horrible background, and wouldn't just come out and say it. I think that aspect of the novel could have been handled a little better. As a whole, though, it was a generally fast paced read, once it picked up. Once things start to happen, it just escalates and escalates until the end of the novel, and keeps you on the edge of your seat. If you're a fan of sports novels, Leverage is definitely worth a look.

School wise, I don't think that this is one that you could embed into the curriculum. There are too many points in the novel that could be considered controversial, and it definitely would only work for an upper high school audience. This would be a novel that you could keep on the bookshelf in case you had a student that was interested in sports novels, being wary that it does contain some controversial scenes. This book is definitely worth keeping around.

Parts of this book were so painful, I wanted to stop reading, but I could not put the book down. I’m glad I didn’t because the hopeful and uplifting parts were well worth it.

Really tough story about high school football culture and bullying. I thought the student characters were well drawn, but as usual adults were mostly missing.

Wow! This was a dark and emotional ride. Told in alternating point-of-view between Kurt, a recruited football player with a history of sexual and physical abuse, and Danny a small gymnist whose team is being bullied by captains of the football team. The two boys form an unexpected friendship while facing extreme harassment. There is some very mature content in this book that many may not want to read, but the author tackles the subject in a realistic and educational way. I kept wanting to scream, "go tell an adult," but the reality is teens will be teens and they get scared and don't always make adult choices. What an extremely powerful book, I was engrossed from beginning to end. The audio version is just fantastic and the voice actor who played Kurt did an amazing job with Kurt's stutter; conveying the agony Kurt goes through on a daily basis.

Wow! This was a dark and emotional ride. Told in alternating point-of-view between Kurt, a recruited football player with a history of sexual and physical abuse, and Danny a small gymnist whose team is being bullied by captains of the football team. The two boys form an unexpected friendship while facing extreme harassment. There is some very mature content in this book that many may not want to read, but the author tackles the subject in a realistic and educational way. I kept wanting to scream, "go tell an adult," but the reality is teens will be teens and they get scared and don't always make adult choices. What an extremely powerful book, I was engrossed from beginning to end. The audio version is just fantastic and the voice actor who played Kurt did an amazing job with Kurt's stutter; conveying the agony Kurt goes through on a daily basis.

After being abused by his caretaker in a foster home, Kurt has another chance to remake himself. Due to his immense size from all the weight lifting he has done, he is recruited for his new school's football team. Carrying scars inflicted on him, both inside and out, make Kurt a loner.

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This visceral, emotionally traumatizing, hard-hitting book about bullying is extremely well written. It's surprising it's a first novel. The only false notes come at the end, with a contrived, pat "Hollywood" resolution. I did not enjoy sobbing like a baby while reading it, but I can't deny that it's an amazing book. Longer review later.

"Without the cover of a football helmet, the stares fire on me nonstop" (9). Not a dangling participle but awkward to me. Also, football. I'm waiting for Freak the Mighty. I've already got "My Bodyguard." Do teenagers still listen to Bruce Springsteen? "Their breasts feel the exact opposite of pain" (92). Not a well-written book technically, but more realistic and with better characterization than I expected. A lot more about football than about gymnastics and no surprise that I would have preferred the reverse.

It pertains to most high school issues and has an interesting story. I read this book because of the cover art.

It is about football and steroids. It is told form two different peoples point of view. I read this book because it was about football and steroids.

Sports fiction will always have a special place in my heart because it combines two of my favorite things: sports and... well... fiction (okay, shut up).

I grew up with Dan Gutman and Mike Lupica, but I think Leverage was probably my first venture into older teen sports fiction, and definitely my first one about football (which, might I add, is my all-time favorite spectator sport). I know by the blurb, it sounds like another Friday Night Lights, another head-butting, sweat-packed story about the strength that goes into football and the tough friendships formed along the way, but isn't—it definitely isn't. Leverage is much, much more: It's deeper, more tragic, and more grueling than any other sports novel I've read before, and it's an unexpectedly jarring, as well as unexpectedly hopeful story that everyone should be aware of.

There are so many different issues tackled in Leverage, including the nit 'n' grit of two very competitive varsity sports teams, the treacherous social structure of high school, and an unspeakable crime against innocence, that all throw outsider, Danny Meehan, into chaos. A determined gymnast and self-proclaimed "nobody," Danny knows better than to mess with Oregrove High's most powerful social circle: the football players. It hasn't been too long since I last cheered on my own high school football team in the stands, so I knew exactly the atmosphere, exactly the rush of the crowd, that Cohen portrays. I do feel his evocation is a bit exaggerated, because never have I met such mean high schoolers, nor such brutal teenagers, but then again, I'm no Danny Meehan; having never gone to school actually fearing for my safety, I've probably never noticed the great, disastrous social divide.

When Kurt Brodsky, a terrifying rock of a fullback with a mysterious, painful past, treads softly onto Oregrove's social scene, Danny sees the school's dynamic doing a fabulous turnover. Suddenly, football players actually seem human, and he even builds up a little bit of courage for himself. All of this comes crashing down when he alone witnesses an inconceivable act of violence, and then is forced to live with the guilt of the ramifications that succeed it.

The hazardous burdens upon a faultless witness, as well as the morality that separates the bystanders from the perpetrators, are embodied seamlessly within Danny's conscience. I think Leverage is a book that everyone should be talking about, just for the hundred and one issues it raises on current events such as child abuse, sports security, and bullying.

I'm afraid to say anymore because I don't know if I could without spoiling the story/fangirling hard, but I will leave you with this: Leverage presents the darkest, most horrifying tragedy you could probably imagine in a contemporary teenage setting. I place this work of young adult fiction apart from others because while others may convey equal brute and equal atrocity, none has ever been so real, so realistic.

Now, if Leverage was a film, it would be rated R, not only for disturbing content, but also for some language, violence, and sexuality. (Not that any of it was enough to bother me—with the exception of one stomach-dropping scene that literally made me tremble—but just a warning: this is most certainly not your sweet, chaste young adult read! I repeat, this is NOT YOUR SWEET, CHA-)

Someone cut me off. Anyway. I love Cohen's voice. Leverage is split up into two narratives: one of the smart, smart-assy Danny, and one of the worn and leather-hard, but still tender Kurt. The high school dynamic is perfectly captured—from the tiny little observances regarding teachers and their inability to ever be subtle, down to the reeking of every boys' locker rooms (don't ask me how I know what a boys' locker room smells like)—and this is mainly the reason why Leverage is so true-to-life, and why it hits so close to home. Like I mentioned before, some of the secondary characters (e.g. the inflatedly brainless football players and the overly determined coaches) are a bit too much; I understand the author meant to caricaturize specific stereotypes within these supporting characters, but it did make the story slightly unrealistic. Fortunately, our two protagonists are perfectly proportioned and perfectly probed, which contributed a lot to my enjoyment of the book.

Kurt was an easy character to like—the gentle giant with a huge heart. The slow uncovering of his secretive past is riveting, and his ultimate triumph astonishing. I loved reading about him warming up to Oregrove, and eventually overcoming his darkest of demons.

Danny was more difficult to sympathize with, even though he's portrayed as the "victim" in many cases, so scrawny and well, kind of a geek, as he is. His attitude is generally snobby and condescending (even on top of his acknowledgement of being at the bottom of the high school social ladder), but it helps shape the plot of the book; in fact, the shift we victoriously see within Danny is what shapes the entire climax, in the first place. While I can't say I immediately liked him, I can say he's a well-fleshed, well-written character essential to the book's procession. Cohen did an excellent job with the main characters.

Leverage is vicious and emotionally searing, but there's a lyrical ending note that makes it all worth it in the end. Leverage is definitely a harsh ride, but there are some weighty issues within it that readers will pick up and take to heart. I am truly impressed with Cohen's accurate representation of the modern high school dynamic, his hard-hitting revelations on injustice and corruption within a sports system, and the disturbing, crude consequences of teenage bullying he reveals is prevalent in society today. The overall complexity and depth of this simply-presented novel astound me.

Pros: Nothing is held back; raw, crude, vicious // Great portrayal of a high school // FOOTBALL! Need I say more? // Impressively dynamic characters // Intricate plot // Easy to read and follow

Cons: Some characters are too stereotypical // Flow of the writing sometimes gets dull

Verdict: Leverage is a coming-of-age football novel that holds no barriers and has no inhibitions. It will take your breath away and have your blood pumping madly; the adrenaline players feel, readers will definitely feel, and that rush—that delirious heart-pounding, throbbing, thrilling sensation—will reverberate effortlessly through their spines. Tragic, appalling, but all-the-while confident and anchored in tone, this young adult story about the power of perseverance and the importance of keeping courage—even if only for a few minutes longer—is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Fans will go wild over Joshua C. Cohen's stunning debut.

Rating: 9 out of 10 hearts: Loved it! This book has a spot on my favorites shelf.

Source: Complimentary copy provided by author in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you!)

This YA book leaves you feeling emotionally raw!

See more of my review at The Eclectic Review

A book sure to keep readers riveted to the chair burning through pages, shares many of the same features and issues found in Robert Lipsyte’s Raiders Night. In Leverage, Danny is a small but gifted gymnast; Kurt is a tank of a fullback with a speech impediment. This novel alternates between the two voices. The two stories gradually intersect when Kurt's god-like quarterback triumvirate brutally sexually assaults one of Danny's teammates. What is different about this book is the honesty of both Danny and Kurt. Each finds himself inexplicably furious with the victim and wants nothing to do with him (which does happen in real life)—but then both suffer monstrous guilt when Ronny commits suicide. Along the way we have Kurt taking steroids as a means for gaining the strength necessary (in his mind) to avoid the abuse he has experienced himself, which still haunts him. Scott the quarterback is a little too Faustian and Mike Studblatz (really!) is sometimes exaggerated and two-dimensional. The adult coaches are not like any coach I have ever met, but I have heard enough anecdotal evidence to accept that they are drawn from real life. The heart of this story is when Danny and Kurt try to see and share those things they have in common, despite the fear of meeting with the perceived enemy. Especially well-crafted is the section in which Kurt goes rock climbing with the gymnasts. High school readers who appreciate gritty, realistic, sports fiction will make certain this book is widely circulated.

An absolutely amazing book, both uplifting and horrifying, yet so true. Brings to life the hell that high school can be with bullying as well as the beauty of a rare friendship between two polar opposites. I loved this book, I cried, smiled, and finally felt good in the end.

Danny's a sophomore gymnast, destined for state championships and scholarships... and resigned to a life of being pushed around by bigger guys. Kurt's a gigantic tank of a football player with major scars, both physical and emotional. When the steroid-infused captains of the football team push bullying to a deadly degree, an unlikely friendship between Kurt and Danny might be the only thing that can set things to rights.

This is a stunning debut. We have two distinctly realistic guy narrators, each with his own baggage, each trying to make it in that barbed maze of high school. Gritty to the extreme, I'd recommend it to fans of Ellen Hopkins, Terry Trueman, or Chris Lynch.

http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2011/02/leverage.html