Customer Reviews

Dominique Moceanu: An American Champion An Autobiography

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Dominique Moceanu "wrote" this book at the peak of her career, when she was 13 years old and had just won the 1995 Senior National Championships before the 1996 Olympics. Thus, judging from the early age which she "wrote" it (it says AS TOLD to Steve Woodward), it isn't the best autobiography in the world.

Yes, Dominique describes her childhood and early gymnastics at the beginning and then moves onto describe her rise to elite gymnastics and competing in bigger meets. Since the book doesn't describe every single meet event-by-event, some may like that a little bit better than other books about her.

However, it is simply too short, and I belive, written at the wrong time. She could have waited until at least her Goodwill Games victory in 1998 before doing this, or even after the 1996 Olympics.

But that's not all- according to Dominique after she filed a lawsuit against her parents in 1998 or so, she called this book a "fable." Yeah, that's right. She goes on to praise her parents in her little fable of an autobiography that shows how perfect her life must have been at this point in her gymnastics career, and then we see that Dominique Moceanu's life isn't so wonderful after all.

Overall, if you're looking for a fabulous comprehensive true biography of Dominique, please, by all means, skip this one. If you want a quick little read with more fiction than fact, go ahead and read this. It has some decent-looking pictures, if that counts for anything.

I think that Domi did a great job with this book. For young gymnasts or fans, it is an inspiring story. Dominique starts from her young childhood describing her life both in the gym and out. She wrote the book when she was 13, and while it's not great, it is definitely good and worth reading.

I have never cared much for Dominique Moceanu, (and I still don't), but I must say that this book was a very interesting look at her pre-Olympic escapades. It is very detailed, and slightly shocking at the same time. Dominique just sets herself up for stalkers and other obsessive weirdos...

Anyway, the thing I like most about this is that she has written this herself, and that the book gives the reader an idea of just what the life of an elite gymnast is really like. A good read, and a must for Dominique fans.

This book was ok, but it really doesn't reflect on how Dom's life is like now. In this book she states she loves her parents, but now has sued them for 1,000,000 dollars. But, I understand this book was written a while back, and, for it's time, its a really great book. Read it and you will decide its great, too!

I think this is a great book because it explains the long days, hard work and dedication of this amazing athlete. After reading this, you will be knowledgeable about her life. In her book, she talks about how she copes with fans, how she was once a fan, and how she truly became AMERICA'S SWEETHEART. -Jason DiVenere (gymnast@hargray.com)

I remember purchasing this from a school book order when it was first published, and after losing my copy several years ago, I checked it out at the library to revisit the young, vibrant Dominique Moceanu from over a decade past. After skimming the pages and remembering it all, I find it hard to believe that she is now in her mid-20's with a husband, a baby daughter, and another child on the way. Things have changed, for sure, but those who followed Ms. Moceanu through her "golden girl" gymnastics days, you could almost swear that it was all happening just yesterday.

In short, "Dominique Moceanu: An American Champion" is a light, easy read for the fans who may want a little more insight on Dominique's younger life as a gymnast. That being said, you will need to take this book with a pretty heavy grain of salt, because when you compare it to the outspoken, slightly more cynical Dominique of today, they don't even seem like the same person at times. I do agree that some parts of this book do seem fake, not only because Dominique had some issues with her father later on, but because she eventually ended up openly criticizing the coaching methods of Bela and Marta Karolyi. They are portrayed in a positive light in this autobiography, but ten years later, a self-described "wiser" Dominique showed no shame in telling the world just how emotionally abusive and crazy the Karolyis are, and how everyone apparently wants them out of the gymnastics scene for good. When asked about the inconsistencies with her current remarks and those mentioned in this book, Dominique wrote a statement on her official website, saying, "At fourteen years old, what else could I say about the Karolyis?" She went on to say that she was taught to keep her feelings inside and never speak up, out of fear for punishment, and because her family had sacrificed so much to help her go to the Olympics at 14, it would have been hard to just walk away. Dominique also claims that as a young teenager, she didn't know any better, but now, as a young adult, she realizes that the Karolyis' hard-core coaching is not the only way to get the results. Of course, many would argue that Bela and Marta are still nurturing the gold-medal winners, while Dominique has yet to send an athlete to the Games and get herself on the board with a "new and better way" of training a successful gymnast. Still, Dominique is really standing by her beliefs now, and it makes her autobiography that much more interesting to read, to see how young she was and how much the Karolyis apparently took advantage of her. Of course, it's pretty much a matter of whose story you believe, but either way, it's all incredibly eye-opening.

As far as the book itself goes, it's hard to say how much of it was actually written by Dominique. The front cover does indicate "As told by Steve Woodward", so you have to figure that this girl--only in eighth grade at the time--didn't pen a 97-page life story without assistance. If certain elements of her gymnastics career, coaches, and family life were overexaggerated to satisfy the fans who forked over the money to buy this, then doesn't it make more sense?

Either way, it's a light, easy, and fairly enjoyable read for anyone who remembers when this adorable little 70-pound dynamo--with her ponytail flying and her smile about ten miles wide--became somewhat of an icon for the 1996 Olympic Games. When I hear her in interviews today, so outspoken and eager to tell "the true story" of the coaches who scarred her, it sometimes makes me wonder if anything from her past was real. However, given the fact that she is still very passionate about the sport and involved as both a coach and motivational speaker, I'm still confident that she did love what she was doing. She was a joy to watch, especially when she was in her prime, and if she is doing whatever she can now to make things better for future gymnasts, then I say good for her. She's got a big fight on her hands if she's serious about overthrowing the Karolyis, because whether you love them or hate them, they've trained back-to-back Olympic champions in the past 4 years with Carly Patterson and Nastia Liukin. Sadly, in the end, as far as Olympic success is concerned, that's what people tend to notice the most. The women's gymnastics program is in top form again after suffering badly about 8 years ago, and many would credit Bela and Marta for making that happen. However, if this is something that Dominique feels compelled to do, then I support her and wish her the best.

This book is an autobiography that Dominique Moceanu wrote before heading to Atlanta in the 1996 Olympics.

Dominique Moceanu was perhaps America's favorite gymnast at the time, and she was so famous that she wrote her autobiography before going to the Olympics, instead of after. I would have preferred it after, because I would love to hear about her experience in Atlanta.

The book is very well written and had many good photos and it gave me an informative look into the life of Dominique.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Inspirational, Amazing, Moving.. Although we use these words everyday to express our emotions and feelings it is not often that you are asked to define these terms... Dominique Moceanu is the definition and more!! This book will truly Inspire, Amaze, and move you! The shear maturity, wonder, excitment, and passion she displays at such a young age is truly heaven-sent!! All teens, and young adults, and children should read this for the reason of encouraging you to see there is much more out there and you can have it if you want it!!

Yes! This book is written by a little 13 year old girl... AND Yes! This book is by an athlete who performs gymnastics. But more so this book is about how much one person can accomplish when they put their mines to it! Are you making a difference every day? This young 13 year old girl is!!...

Jason jasonworld.com

It tells about when Dominiquie was born and what helped her through everything and who helped her.

I liked this book because it was all about Dominiqe Moceanu, my favorite gymnast. This book is very informative, even though it is a little bit out dated. I would reccomend this book to people of all ages. Enjoy!