Cover Gushing Worthiness: have to admit that I prefer the hardcover version over the paperback version which looks like this .For me the hardcover captures the essence of the book perfectly. As you read the book the symbol of the arm with veins protruding becomes much more clearer. Review: I'm on a roll with reading sports YA books at the moment. I bought Leverage about two weeks ago and decided that I should start reading it because I missed reading sports YA books. Leverage did not let me down and it is one book that you will not want to put down because the story will grip you in a way only certain sports stories can. Told in alternative POV of a promising Sophomore Gymnast and a Fullback with a stutter and a tragic past Leverage explores the darker side of sports/sports hierarchy and high school social hierarchy. It looks at the use of steroids, rape, bullying and winning at all costs. This story at times is painful to read because of the rawness and reality, but in the end it does offer hope that there will be those who will always be a voice for the voiceless. Plot wise I enjoyed this story because it tackled difficult issues that not only teenagers face but also adults. Bullying is something that I’m familiar with and this story looked at it in a way that I have never encountered in YA before. It felt so real because everything was so graphic. You could feel your heart ache for the victims and anger for the perpetrators. I think the book addressed the reality of how as a society rape is looked at how it’s wiped under the rug and those victimized are told “nothing happened. let it go.” The more important aspect in Leverage in regards to rape is how society treats male victims of rape. I know that as a freshman in University it hadn't even occurred to me that men get raped until I saw an advertisement for a hotline to male victims of rape. I know that it’s my own fault that I never knew about it, but I know that it’s an issue that I want to better educate myself about. Another aspect of this book that interested me was how sports is always compared to war and I have to say I do not agree with that comparison at all. Any sport for that matter is not a war, it is not gory or bloody. War brings pain and destruction of communities. Yes sports has pain too, but I find it disturbing that players of team sports are called “soldiers” because it’s an unsuitable comparison. Unless there are athletes who are soldiers I do not think this is a fair comparison by any means. The fact this attitude is drilled into younger generations disturbs me. As someone who grew up in a war-torn country I don't want an athlete telling me that he/she understands what it’s like to go to war because in all honesty they may not. The story does start off a bit slow because Cohen builds up the characters by introducing them to the readers first and then letting the story take its course. Another thing is that the book addressed how hard and how scary it is for those who are witnesses to cruel acts to come forward and confess when they know that they will soon become victimized themselves. While reading the book I was constantly reminded of Martin Niemoller’s statement First They Came. If you haven't heard of it before this is it: First they came for the communists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist. Then they came for the socialists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me. . I thought the ending was a bit anti-climactic in the sense that I wanted to see justice and we got some of it, but I wanted so much more, but nevertheless it last few chapters were engrossing to the point where I literally could not put the book down because I wanted to know what happened and mind you I haven’t had a book do that to me in a while. Character wise I liked Kurt (the Fullback) a lot more than Danny (the gymnast) . As a reader you sympathized with Kurt because of his past and his stutter, but you rooted for him like no other because he was trying to do the right thing. I didn’t cry when I read this book, but my heart-felt so much pain as I read Kurt’s chapters because I desperately wanted him to have everything good in life. I also liked him because he’s an unconventional male protagonist which is a nice change from some of the YA books I’ve read. Yes he is a jock, but he’s scarred both mentally and physically to the point where you wonder how he isn’t scared of his own shadow. I liked his character development throughout the book and I enjoyed the friendship between him and Danny. It was very well-developed. I found it quite difficult to like Danny to be honest. I felt that he needed to be put in his place because of his attitude. Maybe some of us are guilty for thinking like him at some point, but when you’re witnessing someone acting like a jerk after everything that has happened all you want to do is put them in their place. I also found him to be rather self-absorbed and watching out for his own interests. However I was quite glad that he grew a backbone at the end of the story. The secondary characters, especially Danny’s Gymnastic teammates were interesting. Sometimes I did find Bruce- the captain of the Gymnastic team hotheaded and rash because it was partially his actions that became the catalyst to the events that occur in the story. I liked Vance Fisher a lot because he provided the humor in the book, but I felt that he had to know that he too was responsible for some of the events that happened. It felt like he got off rather easily. Kurt’s teammates: Mike Studbaltz, Tom Jankowski and Scott Miller were really scary beasts because of the after effects the steroids had on them. They were characters that you definitely wanted to knock out with a baseball bat. They were mean and vile to the point where you wanted to scream at everybody in the book because someone had to something to stop them. Danny’s Gymnastics Coach- Coach Nelson was a really great character, I really wanted to know more about him. There was one quote he said that stuck with me “Never underestimate the power of underestimation.” As for the Football Coaches: Coach Brigs and Coach Stein- well what can I say. How can you trust adults who are willing to induce teenagers with steroids to win a football game? I really disliked both of them. It’s bothers me when people who teenagers and athletes look up to can engage in such activities. My favourite secondary character in the book was Tina. God this girl was so awesome! She was tough as nails and you really had to admire her for her courage to stand up to a steroid infused Football player. There is a passage in which she speaks to Danny that really stood out for me. You’re good at that, I say. “Sticking up for people. I…uh…never thanked you for that time in the hall with Jankowski.” “Yeah.” She nods at me. “I remember thinking you were a total jellyfish after that.” “But then I saw you that night at the gymnastics meet,” she races on. “You were flying through the air,doing totally crazy tricks. Better than any martial artist I've ever seen on Tv. So if you can do all that stuff, how come you can’t stick up for yourself?” “I…uh…I don't know. It’s not the same.” “Of course it is.” . Overall Leverage was an amazing and heart-wrenching read. It’s strengths lie in its realistic portrayal of teenagers who are discovering the cruelties of life, but also their own voices. It’s a book about making a difference and it’s about forming friendships with the most unlikely people. My Rating: 5/5 Would I recommend it? Yes, but not for younger readers of YA Fiction. I feel it’s too graphic for 13-15 year olds. I would recommend it to readers 16 and over.