Book Review: Leverage

Leverage by Joshua Cohen is a teen literature sports fiction novel that I highly recommend reading. If I had the time and eye power to sit down and read a book all at once, I would have done it with Leverage. The novel focuses on two boys, a gymnast named Danny and a football player named Kurt. Kurt has an abusive past as an orphan with a severe stutter but uses his size and muscle to get him status. Danny is small but strong and like the rest of the gymnastics team, is bullied by three relentless, brutal, massive football players who try to pull Kurt into their group. They run the school, are not punished for their outrageous behavior, are adored by girls, and like that Kurt is a powerful athlete who could help lead them to a state title. However, they quickly realize Kurt is not evil like them. In my mind, these three characters are equivalent to Iago from Shakespeare's Othello - as villainous as villainy gets.

Danny and Kurt come together through Kurt's amazement at Danny's ability as a gymnast and desire to learn a back handspring for a touchdown celebration. Their friendship grows as the bullying intensifies and we get to learn about the boys' varying pasts through the honesty of their fears, memories, and motivations. When the bullying reaches its height in a disgusting act, the boys must figure out how to deal with the overwhelming outcome of the situation yet not be harmed themselves.

I will warn that there are very difficult parts of this book. If I were to recommend it to a student in high school, I would tell them in advance that the novel involves extreme cases of physical abuse, drug/alcohol use, rape, and foul language. With that said, it is very well-written and tells a gripping tale that should be read by teens and adults. 

I would never have picked up this book if it wasn't my Teen Lit Club read of the month. While I love sports, sports fiction is not my cup of tea. Yet this is captivating and real. Cohen does not sugar-coat anything and I am glad he didn't. While some parts were challenging to read without crying and other parts I experienced difficultly in refraining from yelling at the characters, I appreciate the genuine quality of this novel. There are characters you will hate and characters you will love. There is sports action and there is a deeper level which questions humanity and how much injustice should be overlooked for a "bigger cause". Put this one on your summer reading list. You will not be disappointed!