Little Girls in Pretty Boxes

Rating:
Summary: Very Effective View
Review: Although this is perhaps the first gymnastics book I have ever heard of, it took me the longest time to go ahead and read it simply because I didn't want to read something that was derogatory about gymnastics.

But then I decided that if I was going to become a true fan on gymnastics, I might was well read about both sides of it, and I borrowed this book.

Before I say anything else, let me just mentioned that this is a very interesting book. One night I planned on reading one chapter and ended up reading several. So if you do read this book, you will not be bored.

But aside from that, this book tells you about gymnast's trouble with anorexia and bulimia, and how some girls starved themselves to make themselves look thin.

I think if you're going to show the bad side to gymnastics, you have to show the good side as well. Yes, girls did starve themselves, and coaches did call them degrading names, but the author didn't tell about the girls who didn't starve themselves, about the coaches that treated their gymnasts firmly but with respect, and the rewards that came with that. This book was entirely one-sided, and it could leave you with a bad taste in the mouth if you're not careful.

I was in a webchat with Shannon Miller not too long ago, and I asked her what she thought about the book. She said that she hadn't read it because she 'preferred not to read fiction', and that she knew what was true and what wasn't. I believe her! One of the things I read in there said that Steve Nunno was only into coaching to get what he could get out of it. Joan Ryan, the person who wrote this book, has some serious catching up to do.

I also think that some of the comments about Bela Karolyi were exaggerated. Yes, he did call his gymnast's names, but I don't think he was as cruel as the book says. If he was, why did Kerri Strug go back to him when he came out of retirement? If he had really mistreated her, than she would have stayed as far away from him as possible. I found it hard to believe everything that this book said about him.

This was the book that gave gymnasts so much trouble when it was published, and I can see why. Some of the stories will shock to no end, but if you really must know how it was, then read this book. But be warned! IT IS NOT ALL TRUE!!!

Rating:
Summary: Little Girls in Pretty Boxes
Review: As with most scandalous exposes, this book needs to be taken with a grain (alright, more like a pound) of salt. What Ryan does is take a few isolated incidents and transforms them into the norm, which creates great a shock-factor for an entertaining read, although little journalistic substance. If you want a captivating and easy read, then this book is for you. However, please realize that Ryan's primary motive in writing this book was to sell copies, and not to present an accurate view of gymnastics and figure skating (both of which I have been involved very deeply for many years).

Thanks for reading. =)

Rating:
Summary: Important read!
Review: I was a competitive and professional figure skater and am now a coach. In this book, Joan Ryan says what needs to be said. It is true, as some other reviewers have mentioned, that not all skaters and gymnasts have negative experiences and it's wonderful to see when gymnasts and figure skaters do have positive, enriching experiences in their sports. However, this is the exact reason that it is so important for us to be aware of the inclinations within each sport that can produce devastatingly negative experiences, so that we can improve these conditions to produce positive experiences for more athletes. I know of many, many skaters who have suffered physical and psychological damage - eating disorders, low self-esteem, self mutilation, etc. - when their love and dedication to the sport was abused (probably unintentionally or unknowingly) by various influences in the figure skating world. It is helpful for all of us who love figure skating and/or gymnastics to face our sport's weaknesses and use criticism constructively. Problems come bearing solutions; the first step is to identify the problems. Ryan does an excellent job of this in this book.

Rating:
Summary: Gone too far
Review: Read about this book to learn about yet another way in which the American drive to produce winners in athletics has gone too far. This author focuses on the abuse of young girls in gymnastics and skating; however, I see the problems in these sports as part of the bigger picture. Our culture places such a high value on athletics that no sport has gone unscathed. I myself was a competitive swimmer and saw various friends battle injuries, eating disorders, alcoholism, and other demons as direct or indirect consequences of the demands of our sport. Every once in a while, a great star is produced, and all the sacrifices seem to have been worth it. The truth is, however, that for every Michael Phelps there are thousands of casualties. It's hard to believe, though, that change is forthcoming- are we willing to preserve the health and well-being of children by freely accepting that by cutting back training schedules, etc., we will not produce the great athletes that we have been? I don't see it coming. As long as baseball players are making outrageous salaries and sports stars are revered as the heroes of today, we will continue to chase the dream and sacrifice literally anything and everything to be successful, as are the little girls in pretty boxes of this book.

Rating:
Summary: Gone too far
Review: Read about this book to learn about yet another way in which the American drive to produce winners in athletics has gone too far. This author focuses on the abuse of young girls in gymnastics and skating; however, I see the problems in these sports as part of the bigger picture. Our culture places such a high value on athletics that no sport has gone unscathed. I myself was a competitive swimmer and saw various friends battle injuries, eating disorders, alcoholism, and other demons as direct or indirect consequences of the demands of our sport. Every once in a while, a great star is produced, and all the sacrifices seem to have been worth it. The truth is, however, that for every Michael Phelps there are thousands of casualties. It's hard to believe, though, that change is forthcoming- are we willing to preserve the health and well-being of children by freely accepting that by cutting back training schedules, etc., we will not produce the great athletes that we have been? I don't see it coming. As long as baseball players are making outrageous salaries and sports stars are revered as the heroes of today, we will continue to chase the dream and sacrifice literally anything and everything to be successful, as are the little girls in pretty boxes of this book.

Rating:
Summary: Very Effective View
Review: This book was very effective in showing the world some of the truths about gymnastics and figure skating. This book may be hard on the heart (and do keep in mind these stories are from the elite level) but it's something that every parent and gymnast should read if they are thinking of going into the elite levels. Great coaches reading also!

Rating:
Summary: A Mixed Bag
Review: While there were certainly horror stories in this book that we don't see portrayed in the media, for the most part, this book lists the same five or six over and over again. So Bela Karolyi's a tyrant and obsessed with winning.....tell me something I don't know. The other problem with this book is that she devotes nearly all of it to gymnastics. Were there not enough abuses to report in figure skating, or did she simply include figure skating for the same reasons she states in her book that make skating so popular: it has more sex appeal than gymnastics? She bemons skating's transition to a "child's sport", but ignores the fact that although the prepubescent jumping beans can do well in competition, they almost never beat the mature artists. Ryan also never tells the positive side of the story. A great many skaters and gymnasts love their sports and come away enriched, not scarred. The parental obsession found in skating and gymnastics is the same as what I see in any other sport. That said, poor journalism aside, the book makes for an entertaining read. I always find myself rereading it during the off season when I need a skating fix.