Rating: 
Summary: Good, but I wouldnt let my mom read it
Review: I thought this was a really good book, and made me glad that i have good coaches, but my older sister read it and wanted me out of tumbling. Thats how scary it really was. I would not let my mom read it for that very reason: my coaches arent like that. I also had a problem with "She was 4'11" and 85 lbs." She was 17, shes obviosly done growing any way, and 85 is NOT that skinny for 4'11". Except for that disregard for proportions, it was an excellent book.
Rating: 
Summary: there are some good gym clubs you just have to be careful
Review: A lot of you have said that this is not what all gymnastics is like and this is very true. But to be fair Ryan does make it clear in the title that she is only talking about elite gymnastics. Anyone who was considering going into gymnastics shouldn't be put off by this book. Recreational gymnastics is not usually like this. I was an elite gymnast myself and the things Ryan talks about didn't begin until i was competing nationally. I also went to several different gym clubs they ranged from brilliant where there were none of these problems at all, to one which was awful. If you are the parent of a gymnast watch how the coaches treat the gymnasts, remember if they can do it to one gymnast then sooner or later they are bound to do it to your daughter. The abuse usually starts small so my advice is to get out before it escalates. There are nice gym clubs around you just have to find them and make sure you dont get too rapped up in your childs gymnastic career to see whats going on.
Rating: 
Summary: A very one sided view of gymnastics.
Review: I have spent almost my entire life in and around the gym. I have meet olympic, world, and NCAA champions. My friends consist mostly of college gymnasts, and I found the book to have many faults. I will admit it was a page turner, but it portrayed gymnastics soley in a bad light. There is so much more to the sport, and so many good gymnasts that have not gone through what Joan Ryan described as the norm. I think next time Joan Ryan needs to check out the facts, and support her claims. The best way to make a strong argument is to state the other opinion.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing, but narrow-minded
Review: I thought that this book was very difficult to put down. From the moment I picked it up, my attension had been taken away. I have, personally, trained in both iceskating and gymnastics as well as strict daance lessons. My gymnastics career was cut short by being 5'8", but none of the horrible abusive things that are mensioned in this book ever happened. This book only shows those in peril, although it is only the elite as well. it is a great book I highly reccomend it everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, perhaps true, but sensationalized
Review: I'm not claiming that the horror stories related in this book are untrue. Being outside the world of elite sports training, I have no idea if they're true or not. However, this is obviously a writer with an agenda. She strongly feels that the elite training of skaters and gymnasts is child abuse, and I agree, if the stories about Karolyi refusing to let his gymnasts eat are true. My problem is that she tends to see evil in every aspect of the sport. She's quick to paint the "villainization" of Tonya Harding as society's rejection of tough, physically big women; the fact is that Tonya was villainized because she engaged in criminal and unsportsmanlike behavior. When Tonya trained, she placed well. Being number 2 in the nation is hardly a rejection. Nancy was ahead of her because she was a stronger and more consistent skater...see the Lillehammer performances. I'm not saying the entire approach to the book is invalid, but sometimes, in her eagerness to make her point, Ryan pushes credibility a bit. She uses extremely politicized language, which is dangerous if you want your expose to be taken as fact rather than theory.
Rating: 
Summary: One-sided and written for shock value
Review: I participated in gymnastics drom the time I was 7 until I turned 16. I feel that this qualifies me to write about gymnastics much more than someone who has never trained or competed in this sport at all. Joan Ryan's interviews were interesting in their shock value, but the book was definitely one-sided. While there are some gymnasts who had traumatizing experiences, there are also some who have had terrific experiences. Interviews from BOTH sides of the spectrum are critical in order to get an accurate picture of the sport. The same can be said for coaches. Yes, some of them have very strict (even tyrannical) methods, there are plenty who are positive and supportive (such as the ones that I myself have worked with). In my opinion, Joan Ryan did not achieve her goal in producing this book: Instead of an unbiased, true look at gymnastics, she presented a very biased, sensationalistic piece. We don't want tabloids--we want the truth.
Rating: 
Summary: The most biast book I have read on gymnastics
Review: I believe that Joan Ryan has no right to comment on elite gymnasts and figure skaters unless she, herself is invovled with elite sports herself. The way she disrespected Bela Karolyi was immature and disgraceful.
Rating:
Summary: With all this controversy, no one can deny the truth.
Review: Ah, the figure skating and gymnastics world are certainly up in arms, and well they should be. I was a figure skater for 14 years and even after I left the sport I still had nightmares. Ryan's book established all the sick coaching methods, name calling and punishments as "celebrated child abuse" and that is exactly what it is. With all the controversy surrounding this book, one must realize just how very profound the problems are. This book is hopefully the first step in many against the currently sick worlds of gymnastics and figure skating. They may look pretty, and tiny but at ages 21 and 22, prepubescent bodies are not healthy, and neither are these sports. Figure Skating fans beware, this book is not for the weak of heart. It is a rare truthful glimpse inside the very dark part of those beautiful superskaters. I recommend it to anyone who is not currently brainwashed by sport.
Rating:
Summary: It'll change the way you watch elite gymnasts and skaters
Review: Although Joan Ryan's book didn't describe the way EVERYONE in gymnastics and figure skating trains, she described the way TOO MANY trained. Her book was provacative and shocking, answering questions I'd always had about why some elite girl atheletes looked and sounded so young, in a very raw, uninhibited manor. Every person who has a child (and every child!) being trained by, or even thinking about being trained by any of the trainers in this book, should read the book and be warned. Joan Ryan has asked the unspoken question in elite girl sports, is it worth it? When it's all said and done (for any of these girls, around 20) will it matter? Who will care?
Rating:
Summary: Frightening & enlightening.
Review: A must read. I could not put this one down!! All parents of young girls should read this book.
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