Adam RipponRecensioni

Engaging read about Adam Rippon's life training to become an Olympic Figure Skater, detailing the moments from before he skated to just after he won his Olympic metal. Very fun.

Book on CD performed by the author
3.5*** rounded UP

Memoir of Olympic medalist and self-proclaimed America’s Sweetheart Adam Rippon.

Gosh this was fun! Rippon details his life growing up as the oldest (and obviously most responsible) of six children, and the sacrifices his mother made to help him achieve his dream of being a competitive figure skater and making it to the Olympics. From his childhood in Scranton, Pennsylvania to the years he spent living with a Russian coach in Toronto to the independent Adam being too poor to eat anything but the free apples at his gym, he covers it all with grace and humor, while sharing the life lessons he learned.

But Rippon is more than just a pretty face (and the world’s BEST spinner), he’s also a thoughtful and assertive spokesperson for LGBTQ rights.

I’ve always loved his skating, but now I love HIM even more! (And to make up for those judges who marked him down … I’m rounding UP! So there!)

He narrates the audiobook himself, and I cannot imagine anyone else doing a better job of it. I mean, NO ONE can deliver those snarky quips better than Adam, himself.

I didn't think he would be this funny! Great story of his growing up, the support of his parents (especially mother), and the struggles and successes he had on his way to the Olympics, and after.

This was laugh-out-loud funny. It also really gave a vivid picture of how hard it is to make it as a world-class skater--the sacrifices families and individuals make, what it's like to deal with injuries. It talked a fair amount about switching coaches--how one makes that decision. I appreciated how Adam expressed his love of skating. At a couple of points, I wasn't sure I wanted to read that much about his sex life, but I realized that a lot of young people (and older people, too) can benefit from his frankness. I like his outlook, about how he views the people he meets as friends who just don't know him yet. Also, he doesn't target others with his humor--most (if not all) the humor in his book is at his own expense.

Short, highly readable memoir by one of my favorite skaters. Rippon tells the tale of his rise from his first time on the ice (hated it) to Olympic glory at the ripe age of 27. He reveals his embarrassing moments in somewhat grim detail, from boyhood to adult (some things never change). And he does it all with a sense of humor that seems to come naturally.

Rippon made headlines when he came out shortly before the Olympics in 2018. It isn't unusual, of course, for skaters to be gay, but most do not come out, or at least didn't. For Rippon, coming out was the least of the issues he had to deal with growing up. His parents were divided on his skating obsession, with his mother moving heaven and earth to make it happen and his father thinking it wasn't worth the trouble. Adam himself had to take long bus rides to rinks, live with coaches and relatives, and move to different cities over the years. His mother found work at the first rink, managed to work her way up to management positions, and managed Adam's arrangements as well.

Until he rebelled at the tender age of 22. When he finally took on adulthood, he had some very grim times, just finding enough food to eat, and may have developed some unhealthy relationships with food. He also had to move from coach to coach, depending on where he was in his development, and some were more helpful and inspiring than others.

Rather belatedly, Adam learned how to make and keep friends, as he had been home-schooled for a long time. He found that outgoing part of himself, relying in large part on humor but also on a natural compassion for others.

Through the hard times and the good, he didn't give in to despair. There were times when a disappointing loss had him hiding in his room, watching television, but it never lasted long. It also seemed that help came at the right times to pull him out.

Rippon was lucky to have good people in his life, including his mother, his siblings, his friends, his coaches. But he was especially lucky in having a drive that kept him going, kept him picking himself up and moving on, and learning from his bad choices.

It's fun to read and an interesting tour of the life of a skater ("skate years are like dog years"). Having a grandson who is a figure skater gives me some insight into that world, but every skater's life is different. I enjoyed Adam's story because I like him as a skater and as a person and this book reveals that he is most certainly beautiful both inside and out.

A great memoir. Adam Rippon is funny, and honest about his life in and out of the skating world. His candor is refreshing, and you find yourself unable to put the book down.

Ironically, this book is mostly about how beautiful Adam is on the *inside*. (Though, of course, that's not the beauty that got him free drinks.)