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Little Girls in Pretty Boxes: The Making and Breaking of Elite Gymnasts and Figure Skaters (1995)

by Joan Ryan

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274497,406 (3.88)4
Welcome to the world of women's gymnastics and figure skating--the real world that happens away from the cameras, at the training camps and in the private lives of these talented teenage competitors. From starvation diets and debilitating injuries to the brutal tactics of tyrannical gymnastics guru Béla Károlyi, Little Girls in Pretty Boxes portrays the horrors endured by girls at the hands of their coaches and sometimes their own families--and is now updated with a new introduction and foreword that address the sexual abuse scandal perpetrated by USA Gymnastics national team doctor, Larry Nassar. This groundbreaking book shows how a longstanding culture of abuse made young gymnasts perfect targets for a sexual predator, and continues to plead for sanity, safety, and an end to our national obsession: winning at any cost.… (more)
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Showing 4 of 4
depressing, chilling read - especially as someone who loves watching the Olympics, gymnastics & ice skating included. can't say any of it was a total revelation, but it was a sobering book. ( )
1 vote AmyCahillane | Feb 24, 2016 |
Confirmed what I had already suspected about the way young gymnasts and skaters are treated by their coaches and parents on their quest for glory. Written in an approachable manner, this book outlines both general and specific stories about the rampant emotional and physical abuse these girls go to. Although dated now, this book is still very much applicable, I suspect. My only problem with the book was the author's treatment of Tonya Harding who she clearly despised. She criticized Tonya for things like not going along along with the program in how skaters are supposed to act and dress and yet had been critical of the conformity that the sport demands. ( )
1 vote castironskillet | Aug 13, 2013 |
I wrote three separate blog posts reviewing this book:

Part I: Little Girls in Pretty Boxes, Injuries http://bettercompetitor.com/book-review-little-girls-in-pretty-boxes-injuries/
Part II: Little Girls in Pretty Boxes, Eating Disorders and Image http://bettercompetitor.com/book-review-little-girls-in-pretty-boxes-eating-diso...
Part III: Little Girls in Pretty Boxes, the second half http://bettercompetitor.com/book-review-little-girls-in-pretty-boxes-the-second-...
  bttrcompetitor | Oct 22, 2011 |
I love watching gymnastics and figure skating. This 1996 book about the pressures on these athletes seemed a bit dated, though it did come out after the Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding incident. Apparently, few gymnasts or skaters, even at the most elite levels, really profit from the years of hard training, normal childhoods are impossible, and most come out physically or emotionally damaged. That still didn't stop me from enjoying Stars on Ice, which I recently saw in New Jersey. ( )
  ennie | Apr 30, 2011 |
Showing 4 of 4
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Ryan, Joanprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Araya, Jennifer JillNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Welcome to the world of women's gymnastics and figure skating--the real world that happens away from the cameras, at the training camps and in the private lives of these talented teenage competitors. From starvation diets and debilitating injuries to the brutal tactics of tyrannical gymnastics guru Béla Károlyi, Little Girls in Pretty Boxes portrays the horrors endured by girls at the hands of their coaches and sometimes their own families--and is now updated with a new introduction and foreword that address the sexual abuse scandal perpetrated by USA Gymnastics national team doctor, Larry Nassar. This groundbreaking book shows how a longstanding culture of abuse made young gymnasts perfect targets for a sexual predator, and continues to plead for sanity, safety, and an end to our national obsession: winning at any cost.

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