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My name is Kate Torgovnick, and this is the MySpace page for my book CHEER!: THREE TEAMS ON A QUEST FOR COLLEGE CHEERLEADING'S ULTIMATE PRIZE, in bookstores on March 11.

If you buy into high school mythology, you probably imagine cheerleaders trying out for the squad to cement their vote for homecoming queen or to score a date with a football player. But popularity is the last thing on college cheerleaders’ minds. Meet Tarianne Green, who loves being launched 25 feet in the air in basket tosses. Meet Casi Davis, who withstands more than 250 pounds as her teammates build human pyramids on her shoulders. Meet Kali Rae Seitzer, who pulls off tumbling passes on par with Olympic gymnasts. And meet James Brown, a former college football player and wrestler who says cheerleading is the hardest sport he’s ever been a part of. This is the true story of three top college cheerleading teams.

For more information, plus tons of photos and video, head to www.cheerthebook.com.

Advance praise for CHEER!:

“Kate Torgovnick's CHEER! is the Friday Night Lights of a new generation.” —Courtney E. Martin, author of Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters

“Throughout high school, Torgovnick had nothing but disdain for school spirit. Cheerleaders weren't on her radar, until one of her classmates fell from a human pyramid. Suddenly, the writer-to-be thought cheerleading was kind of interesting. Fast-forward a decade, when Torgovnick's editor at Jane magazine assigned her a story on the rise of cheerleading injuries, and the reporter was sucked into a subculture whose members were more competitive than she had imagined. Just as Stefan Fatsis did in Word Freak (2001), Torgovnick strategically incorporates her subject's history into the narrative, giving context and gravitas to what could have come off as the print version of a reality show. 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)

“CHEER! literally jumps off the page. Torgovnick brings us so close that we actually feel the adrenaline pulsing through our own bodies. Emotionally raw, and beautiful.” —Kimberlee Auerbach, author of The Devil, The Lovers, and Me

“In this unexpectedly engrossing book, Torgovnick focuses on three university cheerleading teams as they compete for national supremacy. But this book has real weight and a lot of surprises. Torgovnick tackles some of cheerleading's biggest issues—its effect on sexual mores and its links to eating disorders—head on, but at the same time, doesn't sneer at the thrill of competition.” —Booklist

“Because Kate Torgovnick has captured every voice in this fascinating world verbatim, crack open the book to read just one sentence and you too will be instantly immersed in these characters' riveting ups and downs (pun intended).” —Jane Pratt, founder of Jane and Sassy magazines

“Whether you tried out for the pom squad, or blew off every pep rally like Torgovnick did, this suspenseful tale of cheerleading's glorious highs, and pressure-cooked lows will give you insight into an ever-growing national phenomenon.” —Lauren Sandler, author of Righteous: Dispatches from the Evangelical Youth Movement