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bellulapatata's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
This was an amazing and heartfelt recounting of the author's experience around ice skating, being queer, and the challenges of how tiny sports like skating demand that you be. The writing is beautiful and I deeply enjoyed being allowed a glimpse into her world. As a queer person myself, and someone who has been in a sport that demands impossibly tiny bodies, I felt a kinship with the author. Wonderful read, highly recommend watching her skate videos after you read the book!
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia and Eating disorder
piratenami's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Biphobia, Body shaming, and Homophobia
samanthamurk's review against another edition
4.0
This was recommended to me from a librarian, it is definitely not something I would have chosen on my own. Overall I think this was a good book, although it is not something I am very interested in. I did find this book better than I had expected it’s just not something that I was super excited to read about.
The figure skating parts were interesting but I would not seek out the information on my own.
Her journey with her sexuality was insightful and I really enjoyed the way it was told, definitely my favorite part of the book.
I did skip over most parts about her eating disorder.
I would love to know where some of the other people in the story ended up.
I loved that it ended with her joining the circus, but i would love to hear more stories about the circus. If she writes a sequel about that I would definitely read it!
The figure skating parts were interesting but I would not seek out the information on my own.
Her journey with her sexuality was insightful and I really enjoyed the way it was told, definitely my favorite part of the book.
I did skip over most parts about her eating disorder.
I would love to know where some of the other people in the story ended up.
I loved that it ended with her joining the circus, but i would love to hear more stories about the circus. If she writes a sequel about that I would definitely read it!
liralen's review against another edition
4.0
It's always a pleasant surprise to pick up a book because you're interested in its themes (in this case: skating and queer identity) and to find that it's actually well done to boot. This memoir skates close to an essay format but ends up being quite a cohesive look at competitive skating—as well as questioning sexuality in a conservative area (and what is in many ways a conservative sport); dealing with body image, an eating disorder, and pressure to physically conform (in what is also a very image-focussed sport); and normal questions of growing up and fitting in.
Sometimes it's big things, and sometimes it's little ones, like Manta's shift from loving the process of planning new costumes:
I'll leave it there—but it's worth looking up Manta's 2019 skate to 'Sweet Dreams' after reading.
Sometimes it's big things, and sometimes it's little ones, like Manta's shift from loving the process of planning new costumes:
My very first skating dress was a pink crushed-velvet number with a she'll-grow-into-it fit. At six years old, I asked my mom to sew a feather boa onto the sleeves because I had seen Oksana Baiul skate in a feather-laden dress on TV. The end result was a ridiculous and adorable outfit—a unique creation that made me feel superhuman when I put it on (although I probably looked less like a superhero and more like a bubblegum chicken). As I got older, I stayed heavily involved in the dressmaking process—sketching out designs on scraps of paper with my mom and carefully gluing patterns of gleeful rhinestones onto our creations. But at some point, the procedure lost its magic. My coaches started getting involved. Judges started making notes. I was told not to wear halter dresses because they made my boobs look too big. I was not to wear white because the color emphasized the rolls of my stomach. I was told not to wear shorts or pants because they were against the rules. (Yes—in the sport of ice dance, there are rules against women wearing pants.) (216)There's so much here, isn't there? There's the irony of being older (and being a more advanced skater) meaning less control over the creative process. There's the emphasis on weight: size seeming as important as skill, and boobs being something to hide because...because...I haven't figured this one out. Because they imply a healthy amount of body fat, I suppose, and we can't have that. The extremely binarily gendered way in which ice dancing operates—always male/female pairs; women apparently can't wear pants (and men presumably can't wear skirts); Manta is one of very few openly queer female figure skaters, because heteronormativity is a thing.
I'll leave it there—but it's worth looking up Manta's 2019 skate to 'Sweet Dreams' after reading.
anacarmo13's review against another edition
5.0
So good.
So simple, yet so complex.
I wish books like these were more popular.
I wish I could’ve read this when I was 14/15.
5 big stars ✨
So simple, yet so complex.
I wish books like these were more popular.
I wish I could’ve read this when I was 14/15.
5 big stars ✨
morningtide's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
This book was hopeful, sweet, sad, and lovely. It had me feeling more emotional at moments than I expected. That voice in our heads telling us, "If I were really so bad, if I really needed help, wouldn't other people notice and say something?" was very familiar to me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Eating disorder