This past birthday/Christmas, I got gifted some really great books, and this is one of them. Despite my feelings toward Simone’s book, Courage to Soar, I went into Aly’s book with high hopes. I just have a tremendous amount of respect for her. She’s so mature and accomplished and poised. And, also, I just love memoir-type books, so…
Book 2:
Fierce: How Competing for Myself Changed Everything
by Aly Raisman
Genre:
Sports Autobiography, Biography
Published:
November 2017
Synopsis According to Mandi:
Without spoilers, Fierce: How Competing for Myself Changed Everything is about Aly’s road to success and the obstacles she had to overcome along the way. Aly is a two time Olympic athlete, and a highly accomplished one at that. What does it take to be in her shoes? What does her life look like post-Olympics? How does she use her platform for good?
Favorite Quote(s):
“My parents focused on being parents and left the coaching to the professionals. They never pushed me, but they saw the value of being part of something that made me leap out of bed, excited for the day.”
“It gave me an even greater appreciation of the Olympics, a place where the whole world and people of all nationalities came together to support one another.”
– Aly Raisman, Fierce: How Competing for Myself Changed Everything
Awards (based upon my brief research):
None noted, but obviously Aly’s raked in a few “awards” herself…
Pages:
368
My Overall Rating:
4 – This book features two things I love – the Olympics and gymnastics – plus my favorite athlete. Aly is a remarkable woman. Her dedication to her sport is admirable, but her dedication to being a good person is commendable. From the moment I first watched her compete in 2012, I knew I liked her as a person. She’s calm and collected, yet unquenchably fierce. Though I already knew much of her story, her telling of it is so beautiful and only further solidifies my respect for her.
Aly’s writing was mature. She was transparent about the obstacles she faced, how she handled them and how they made her feel and grow. Her road to success was nowhere near easy, yet in performance, an onlooker would never suspect that. At each step along the way, she’s carefully decided on how to use her platform for good, and I loved reading her thought process in some of those questionable steps.
Still, I have to say, if you are not obsessed with the Olympics or if you do not have a deep love for gymnastics, this is probably not your book.
