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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Keeping mind that this book was published in 2017, probably less than 1 year after the Rio 2016 Olympics, Laurie Hernandez was barely 17 years old and has been homeschooled for much of her gymnastics life.
As such this book was written by a teenager, using teenage language and grammar. It appears to have been aimed at young people, most likely those who are not familiar with gymnastics.
Laurie explains in great detail all about how the gymnastics rules work, and why things are done certain ways. I felt a little annoyed by these explanations because I already know them. I have been following the sport of Gymnastics for well over 40 years now. I know how gymnastic competitions work and why things are done a certain way.
While Laurie did a lot of training to get to the Rio Olympics, the rules meant that she was unable to compete in the All Around Competition. But she did very well to return home with a team gold medal and one event silver medal.
She also had a number of injuries along the road getting to the Olympics. Those injuries may now cause future health issues for Laurie further down the line, particularly arthritis since most of her injuries involved body joints (wrist and knees).
After the Olympics Laurie was invited to perform on Dancing with the Stars, and from what I understand, she and her partner won their season!!! I do not watch DWTS so I am not too familiar with that series.
There are quite a few photos of Laurie throughout her life, which I enjoyed seeing. Plus also her lists of favourites - music playlists, books, movies, famous people, etc.
I gave this book 3 stars because it was good as a basic biography, but it really should have a YA (young adults) label on it.
As such this book was written by a teenager, using teenage language and grammar. It appears to have been aimed at young people, most likely those who are not familiar with gymnastics.
Laurie explains in great detail all about how the gymnastics rules work, and why things are done certain ways. I felt a little annoyed by these explanations because I already know them. I have been following the sport of Gymnastics for well over 40 years now. I know how gymnastic competitions work and why things are done a certain way.
While Laurie did a lot of training to get to the Rio Olympics, the rules meant that she was unable to compete in the All Around Competition. But she did very well to return home with a team gold medal and one event silver medal.
She also had a number of injuries along the road getting to the Olympics. Those injuries may now cause future health issues for Laurie further down the line, particularly arthritis since most of her injuries involved body joints (wrist and knees).
After the Olympics Laurie was invited to perform on Dancing with the Stars, and from what I understand, she and her partner won their season!!! I do not watch DWTS so I am not too familiar with that series.
There are quite a few photos of Laurie throughout her life, which I enjoyed seeing. Plus also her lists of favourites - music playlists, books, movies, famous people, etc.
I gave this book 3 stars because it was good as a basic biography, but it really should have a YA (young adults) label on it.
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
The book was good, a fast read. I know it was written by a teenager, but it felt very much like she was bragging about her accomplishments and wanted the world to read it. Laurie did have some amazing accomplishments, but in my opinion a book wasn’t the place to tell about them. Hey Laurie wrote a book and I didn’t. Good job Laurie!
I read the e-book and found the memoir to be delightful to read. The content reads like a middle grade or younger YA book. It's a great sports book for readers as well as a clean memoir for teenagers.
I enjoyed the inspirational aspect and the information about Ms. Hernandez's training, the camps, her wins, and her losses. Many readers will be able to identify with the long term aspect of training in a sport and its impact on the athlete's family.
The narrative is easy reading and especially interesting when we get to the part of the story about the trials for the Olympics and the teamwork required to get to the Olympics. I wasn't aware she was involved in Dancing With the Stars, but that too proved to be an athletic endeavor.
I enjoyed the inspirational aspect and the information about Ms. Hernandez's training, the camps, her wins, and her losses. Many readers will be able to identify with the long term aspect of training in a sport and its impact on the athlete's family.
The narrative is easy reading and especially interesting when we get to the part of the story about the trials for the Olympics and the teamwork required to get to the Olympics. I wasn't aware she was involved in Dancing With the Stars, but that too proved to be an athletic endeavor.
Laurie was 16, which is the minimum age of a gymnast at the Olympics. She was an incredibly talented gymnast and I’m a little sad she turned 16 the year of the Games. The girl has so much potential and I think she’s not going to end up continuing in gymnastics. Even one year later and I think she would have beaten out Gabby for the all around spot in Rio. Not that Gabby wasn’t a good gymnast, Laurie was just the baby on the team.
This book was a super light read and a pretty simple recap of her story. Glad I read it, but for a deeper look into the gymnastics world, I’d recommend Aly Raisman’s book instead.
I’ll go 8 of 10 for enjoyment and 5 of 5 for readability. Quick read, and I’m interested to see where Laurie ends up over the next few years. She’s a great young woman and it’ll be interesting to see who and what she becomes after gymnastics.
-Holly
For more reviews, check out bedroopedbookworms.wordpress.com
This book was a super light read and a pretty simple recap of her story. Glad I read it, but for a deeper look into the gymnastics world, I’d recommend Aly Raisman’s book instead.
I’ll go 8 of 10 for enjoyment and 5 of 5 for readability. Quick read, and I’m interested to see where Laurie ends up over the next few years. She’s a great young woman and it’ll be interesting to see who and what she becomes after gymnastics.
-Holly
For more reviews, check out bedroopedbookworms.wordpress.com
I absolutely loved this book. I loved watching her in the Olympics and on Dancing with the Stars!! She was always so positive and upbeat about everything.
Laurie Hernandez is obviously an extremely accomplished woman and I find that this memoir will be especially inspirational for young girls. The writing style is a bit amateur, but you have to remember that she was 16 when she wrote this book and I don't know any 16 year olds that are novelists. Due to how basic the language was, thats why I recommend it for a younger audience. Being a 20 year old, I felt that the book was a bit juvenile for my tastes, but I decided to give it a try since it had always been sitting on my shelf. I breezed through the book in one day, and it reminded me of how exciting women's gymnastics was during the 2016 Olympics.