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

There is a lot of backstage dish in the book that is interesting. True life stories, some of which are heartbreaking, flesh out the allegations asserted by the author.
The emphasis on being tiny and elfin has had enormous impact on elite female gymnasts. One sees the difference in just by looking comparatively at the women's U.S. Olympic gymnastic teams from 1976 and 1992. The photographs in the book best illustrate this and this comparison bespeaks volumes. Elite gymnastics went from being a woman's sport to a girl's sport, as the author has sagely noted.

Moreover, while some measures have been taken, such as raising the age for Olympic competition in 2000 from fifteen to sixteen, at the same time the minimum level of difficulty has increased, making an already dangerous sport more dangerous. Remember, elite gymnastics is a sport fraught with the potential for devastating spinal cord injuries. The author recounts a number of these heartbreaking injuries and the circumstances under which they occurred, leaving the reader to ask oneself, "Just what were these coaches thinking?"

The pressure that some of these girls and young women endure is truly unbelievable. The demands upon them are often unrealistic, stunting not only their physical development, but their social and emotional development, as well. Competing with serious injuries, while taking potent drugs for the excruciating pain, is simply not commensurate with a sensible athletic regimen.

Parents who are living their dreams through their children are often as dangerous as unscrupulous and unqualified coaches. Many force their children to compete merely to satisfy their own desires for personal glory, badgering and berating their offspring every step of the way. Coaches, likewise, have their own dreams. Everyone wants to produce Olympians, but at what cost?

This is a an excellent book with a lot of information, both anecdotal and empirical. When purchasing the book, however, be sure to get the latest edition, as it has been updated with information on the state of gymnastics as of the year 2000. It also contains 24 pages of photographs, including 8 new pages for the updated edition.


A real eyeopener.   December 29, 2002
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

This book is a "must read" for all parents of budding gymnasts. It details the mental and physical abuse gymnasts have suffered in the USA, at the hands of their coaches and parents. Blinded by their dream of the Olympics, coaches obsessed about the weight and shape of their gymnasts causing eating disorders. They strove for perfection and screamed abuse at gymnasts for mistakes, forced them to train and compete with horrific injuries and allowed them no life outside the gym. In addition to this parents would push their children, refusing to let them quit, exposing them to emotional blackmail and beatings for not conforming.

All in all, this book is a disturbing but utterly compelling read.


an interesting look at the sports   December 14, 2001
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I think this book is a good read. Although I don't necessarily agree with some of the viewpoints and yes it is true that it only focuses on the negative sides of the sports, I still think that it is beneficial to be aware of these unfortunate incidences, which elite gymnastics may or may not be directly responsible for. And every readers should keep in mind that, as the author stated, she did not write about average gymnasts or about gymnastics as a recreational sport but rather as how it produces young athletes to feed the national obsession with winning. Also everyone can learn from past mistakes. I've picked up many messages from reading this book. Top coaches are not gods- they make mistakes and have their own agendas. Some may practice 'survival of the fittest' to the extreme. Parents have to acknowledge whether or not their children will thrive or cripple under such enormous pressure and prepare for alternatives when the price to become the 'fittest' has become too high. Also children need to know how much they are loved and valued just for being themselves. They can all grow up to be amazing individuals and make the most of their lives- with or without gymnastics.


A great book showing the life of top-class gymnasts etc.   February 26, 2001
5 out of 7 found this review helpful

This book helps you to understand the life's of top-class gymnasts and figure skaters and there families.It shows how you can make these people into what they are and how they destructed. It discusses issues forced on these athletes e.g. Weight disorders like anorexia and bulemia and being overworked and how they injure and end there careers. An execellent book which sould be bought read to the full.