Customer Reviews

Michelle Kwan: My story ; heart of a champion (Read 180)

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

At the risk of being thrown out of the association for people far too obsessed about figure skating, I must confess I think the idea of teenagers writing autobiographies is rather silly. This year brings us the autobiographies of not one, but two teenage world champions; 15 year old Tara Lipinski's "Triumph On Ice," and17 year old Michelle Kwan's "Heart of A Champion." The surprise is not that Lipinski's book is just fluff, but that Kwan's book is rather good. I am fast approaching Dick Buttonslevel of hysteria when it comes to Michelle Kwan. So I consulted some saner, or at least less biased, minds than my own. Everyone says the same thing, for a very thin book "Heart of a Champion" has surprising depth. On the ice she leaves audiences breathless with the exquisite depth of her skating. Off the ice this book surprised many by the extent to which Kwan tries to delve into her own mind and heart. Kwan is not content to tell you what has happened to her, she does her best to explain why it happened, and what it feels like. She does not always manage to convey these things, she is after all only 17.
Kwan is meticulous in detailing the many people who havesupported her and aided her career. Her book is about commitment and devotion; to family, to coach, to the sport. Beyond that Kwan is devoted to an ideal she can barely express. She says that she wants to be a "legend"; she is after nothing less than immortality. Lipinski wants to win shiny medals, Kwan wants to leave an impact on the sport that has impacted so much on her.

Michelle's book is a wonderful autobiography of the young skater who has dazzled the world with both her amazing skating skills and her gracious sportsmanship. It is a must-read for any competitive athlete, in any sport. Michelle's story of her love for skating and her maturity in handling defeat in the 1997 season and at the 1998 Olympics is truly inspiring.

If you're a fan of michelle then you will realize why after reading this book. The book is geared towards a younger audience but you can read between the lines and see that michelle is a sweet person who is only human. She is the most popular figure skater out there and yet she just wants to be a regular person.

I loved this book!! It's not fluff!! She really lets her heart come through. I have watched her since she became a Senior skater, and I think she has grown so much, both as a person and a skater! Anyone who is a true Michelle fan will want this book! It inspired me and I'm 30!!

This book is very sweet. No fluff like Triumph on Ice. It shows how MK dedicates herself.

Michelle Kwan gives her view on her very busy, exciting, and active life as a phenomonal figure skater. Don't be put off about a 17yr. old writing an autobiography. I think anyone interesting desverves to write an "autobiography", in michelle's case, a story about her life so far. Buy this book!! It's great. I own it, my sister gave it to me since i'm a figure skater myself, and i've read it 21 times!

"Michelle Kwan: Heart of a Champion: An Autobiography" is a wonderful book. This book tells of the requirements of the sport, the training involved, and an inside look into Michelle Kwan's life. This book takes you through Michelle's life from the time she arrived on the figure skating scene to the time just before the Nagano Olympics. It tells about her hopes and dreams as a skater. It tells about Michelle's life as a teenage skater. In this book Michelle talks about her family and philosophies she lives by. I loved this book because it is very inspirational. It taught me that you can achieve anything if you focus on the goal. I recommend this book to people of all ages.

I thought this book was written very openly and honestly--these 2 things alone grab your attention whether or not you like Michelle Kwan. However, I thought that a 17 year old is a bit young to write her own autobiography. I look forward to perhaps another autobiography from her in roughly 20 years.

I loved reading Michelle Kwan's autobiography. I found it to be very imformative, and I learned even more about this very talented figure skater. It was a great book, and it was so cool to find out about Michelle's first competitions, when she first started skating, her feelings about the sport, and her 1998 Olympic story. Another cool thing about this book was that you could flip the pages and see Michelle Kwan do a triple Lutz. It was cool! I would reccomend this book to any fan of figure skating or Michelle Kwan. Excellent book!

The book tells about a girl who starts out loving to skate, and in the end she still continues to love skating. The book shows how she never gives up on something she loves so much, and even though she went through rough times she still managed to practice and do exactly what her coach told her to do.
The book was great, if you are the skating type of person, or you are more into sports. If you were a non-athletic person this book is not for you. Otherwise, the book is excellent. The way she wrote makes you wanna get up and skate with her. She has a great way of building up confidence and showing what the sport is really about. I rated the book with three stars because I don't skate and I don't know what it feels like to be a skater, but I do play a sport and can relate to some of what she writes about in the book. If you need to build up your confidence with a sport, I recommend you read this book.