Little Girls in Pretty Boxes: The Making and Breaking of Elite Gymnasts and Figure Skaters

Rating:
Summary: HORRIBLE
Review: As a former Bela Karolyi protegee I have to say this is the worst book that I have ever read!!!! Joan Ryan has NO right to write a book about elite gymnasts when she has never been one herself. When I was w/ Karolyi it was never ANYTHING like what she says. What ya'll don't know is that Bela's smile and encouragment continue when the camera's not on him. I think that Ryan has a very sorry way of making a living!! I was an elite and I guarantee u that I and Dominique Moceanu, Kerri Strug, Kim Zmeskal, Jaycie Phelps, Shannon Miller etc... are in it 4 the fun. Bela, Mary Lee Tracy, Steve Nunno, The Rybacki's and every other coach who has an elite gymnast cares very much about there gymnasts. If they didn't they wouldn't have any elite gymnasts. Some people don't like Bela's coachig method and I respect that, so does he. But if u don't like his coaching just don't train w/ him!!

Rating:
Summary: Very Exagerated!
Review: This book is very exagegrated and plays on the fears of others. Obviously, the author only investigated the negatives, which, by the way, could exist in any sport. If Joan Ryan had bothered to do the research neccesasary to write an accurate description of gymnastics she would have discovered that gymnastics teaches very important lessons to girls early on. Gymnastics teaches determination, motivation, discipline, as well as increases strength and confidence.I am a gymnast and the lessons I have learned have benefitted me in every aspect of life. Sure some fanatical people take it too far and do have eating disorders, but perhaps it is not the gymnastics motivating it. Many, many, many people, non-gymnasts, get eating disorders. Joan Ryan uses gymnastics as a scape goat. This book is a very inacurrate description of gymnastics.

Rating:
Summary: Aweful
Review: Books that are based on a few rare incidences should not be applied to the sport in general. It's a wonderful sprt with the hardest working athletes in the world, and the children didn't to do it, they could just stop working out. Sure there are some coaches, but there are bad coaches and pushy parents in football, basketball, baseball, didving, swimming[steroids], volleyball, etc..... noone want's to ban any of those sports. This book is biased and unfair to coaches like the Rybacki's, Mary Lee Tracy, and most other coaches in the world. Very few are like the one's described by the book. I don't know why Joan Ryan is doing this to a sport I love, but she obviously has something against it. Maybe she wasn't good enogh as a child and want's revenge?

Rating:
Summary: it was a good book but...
Review: IT was a ver good book but it only gave you the negative points of being a gymnast. I was in gymnastics for 5 years of my life and yes, it was tough, the coaches wernt always nice but i still loved almost every minute of it! I learned descipline, self control, hard work and to be deticated al thinks to gymnastics. If it wasent for that then i dont know where i would be. Those 5 years were the best of my life so far and i wouldnt trade that for anything. So dont just think of gymnastics as all bad and no good. not every gymnast is anorexic or bulimic. i may not have become an elite gymnast or made it anywhere close to the olympics but i did compete for four of the five years so when you think of gymnastics, dont just think of the bad things it has, think about the good things.

Rating:
Summary: Everyone should read this book!
Review: When I read "Little Girls In Pretty Boxes" I was not only touched, but ashamed. I, myself am a figure skater, although not of high ranks. I was shocked, and amazed at the dirt that was dug up on many of the coaches who trained the great skaters and gymnasts! They were not only setting bad examples, but they were physically and emotionally wounding these girls! You will be amazed to discover what really goes on behind all of the fun!

Rating:
Summary: This book was very disturbing but informational to read.
Review: I am a gymnast, and reading this book made me be thankful for not going into intense training as these girls did. I realize that no matter how much you love yourself your coaches and elders have a great influence on you. Reading this book made me feel bad for those tiny little people I see running around on the floor, and made me realize that their kind of gymnastics is not all fun, games, and especially not smiles. All in all I think if you like either of these sports it would be a great investment to buy it. But also realize that both of these sports take a lot of hard work and dedidcation that not a lot of people realize.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book
Review: There has only been a few deaths that had to do with gymnatics. In my opinion, I was a lack of responsiblity. The coach and parents should have watched. Think of all the girls and boys that do gymnastics. I do it and I am a champion, my coaches and parents watch every move I make because I had another coach and at that gym I had injuries and an eating disorder. I got it fixed and I am back to sports.

Rating:
Summary: Good Book!
Review: I read this book, and I loved it! It was very scary and sad. It kinda makes you want to never become an elite gymnast. I take classes at a local gym and it is nothing like what happens in the elite gym. But if you starve your self or you throw up when your done eating it could lead to serious injury and can kill, but can be cured.

Rating:
Summary: A very one sided opinion
Review: Joan Ryan gave a very one sided opinion of gymnastics, gymnastics is not child abuse! Ryan just gave the ugly side of the sport without showing the good side such as: strength, flexibility, and grace. You could take any other sport and show the ugly side of it. Gymnastics has a lot more pros then it does cons!

Rating:
Summary: Devastating
Review: This is an explosive book that details the horrors of a so called sport that is nothing more then state sanctioned child abuse. After reading this book and shedding quite a few tears I have come to the conclusion that Gymnastics as a sport should be outlawed. Hopefully the day will soon come when more children are not driven into a slave like existence with their childhoods destroyed and adult lives scarred.