Book Review – Courage to Soar

Courage to Soar is the autobiography of Simone Biles, the greatest gymnast of all time and dominator of the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio. Simone shares her story from foster care to Olympic gold medalist and everything between including the hard choices she had to make, the odds that were against her and the very normal parts of her story.

For most of my life Dominique Dawes has been my favorite gymnast. I watched her compete as a part of the Magnificent Seven in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta when I was 6. She made me fall in love with gymnastics – she was so powerful and so graceful. No other gymnast has captivated me quite like she did… until Simone Biles. I caught wind of her when she first won World’s and started following her journey to the 2016 Olympics, shocked that any human could do what she was doing. Then, like I find with any majorly successful athlete, I needed to know her story, hence book 25.

Book 25:
Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, A Life in Balance
by Simone Biles and Michelle Burford

Genre:
Autobiography, Biography

Published:
November 2016

Synopsis According to Mandi:
Without spoilers, Courage to Soar is the autobiography of Simone Biles, the greatest gymnast of all time and dominator of the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio. Simone shares her story from foster care to Olympic gold medalist and everything between including the hard choices she had to make, the odds that were against her and the very normal parts of her story.

Favorite Quote(s):

“I would hope I would inspire kids everywhere to know that you can do anything you put your mind to.” 

-Simone Biles, Courage to Soar

Awards (based upon my brief research):
None noted.

Pages:
246

My Overall Rating:
2 – I love, love, love Simone’s story, but her writing (along with Michelle Burford’s) did not do it for me. Simone took gold in Rio in August of 2016 at age 19 and had her book out by November of 2016. It felt like a book that was both rushed and written by a 19 year old (I’m so sorry, I love you Simone!).