My book, CHEER!
CHEER! is narrative nonfiction romp through the world of college cheerleading that got lots of praise when it was published. It also inspired the series Hellcats on The CW.
“An engaging, voyeuristic narrative that suggests college cheerleaders are as close to real-life superheroes as exist.”
—Dallas Morning News
“Torgovnick has done an excellent job of reporting, bringing the reader into this world most of us would never see.”
—USA Today
“A spirited, fascinating, at-times disturbing and always absorbing book about the obsessive subculture of college cheerleading — which Kate has entered into with sympathy and compassion.”
Think cheerleading is just pom-poms, “gimme an ‘R’,” and pleated skirts? I did too, until I spent a year on the road following three competitive college cheerleading squads from tryouts to Nationals. CHEER!: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders is year-long odyssey into this rough-and-tumble world that will introduce you to some truly unforgettable characters. Because college cheerleaders are extreme athletes who fly thirty feet in the air, build pyramids in which a single slip can send ten people crashing to the ground, and compete in National Championships that are won by hundredths of a point.
Released by Simon & Schuster, I’m honored that this book has been called, “the Friday Night Lights of a new generation.”
"One of the more successful pieces of narrative nonfiction this year, distinguished by Torgovnick's impeccable ear and canny, original choice of subject matter." — Kirkus Reviews (starred)
Me talking about the book on Good Morning America.
A trailer for the book with footage taken on the road.
““A fist-pumping, Astroturf-banging tribute to the women and men who make up the in-world of competitive college cheerleading. It had me rooting from the edge of my seat.” ”