What do you think?
Rate this book
My Story: The official story of inspirational Olympic legend Tom Daley
DIVE INTO THE REMARKABLE FIRST OFFICIAL MEMOIR OF OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALLIST TOM DALEY AND DISCOVER WHERE IT ALL BEGAN'I laughed, I cried, I loved it! Probably the most inspirational book I have ever read' 5***** Reader Review'You feel like you're there with Tom through the highs and lows of his life' 5***** Reader Review_______In 2012, at the age of eighteen, Tom Daley had the whole country behind him as he won bronze at the Olympic Games in London.A double Commonwealth gold medal winner, he was already one of the sport's most exciting athletes.But behind his rise to sporting stardom, there is also a heartbreaking and inspiring story of a young man coping with the death of his father whilst under the glare of the world's media spotlight.In this, Tom's first official memoir, he writes honestly and openly about the pressures, challenges and fascinating experiences of being a world-class Olympian. From his day-to-day schedule, to his hobbies and family life, to sharing his hopes and dreams in the build-up to the London Olympics, this book offers a unique chance to get close to Tom.You already know him as the legendary Olympic athlete. Now, get the know the man behind the medals.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2012
26 people are currently reading
423 people want to read
About the author
Tom Daley
17 books102 followersThomas Robert Daley is a British diver and television personality. Specialising in multiple events, he is an Olympic gold medallist in the men's synchronized 10-metre platform event and the first British diver to win four Olympic medals. He is a triple world champion, a 5-time European champion and 4-time Commonwealth champion.
He is married to screenwriter and activist Dustin Lance Black.
He is married to screenwriter and activist Dustin Lance Black.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
August 31, 2021
Insights of his earlier life journey of one of the most prolific British diver ever “tom Daley's” story keep you engaging and makes you admire him even more than before. from falling in love with the diving to losing his dad. His ups and downs shows his strong character and spirit, his love for his family and friends along with dedication and discipline towards his sport is exemplary. As you read on the page after page, you will feel a bond with his loving, humours character. I will definitely recommend reading it up.😊❤️✌🏻
May 30, 2024
Very sweet book as the lovely Tom tells of his early life - will look out for a more updated biography and this one finishes just before 2012
Read
August 8, 2021hey...
Read
September 2, 2012TOM DALEY IS AN INSPIRATION TO EVERYONE!!
In this book it shows the highlights of his life but also the downfalls. It is an easy book for teens to relate to due to the fact that he is still a teen himself.
It is full of pictures and information and i now love him even more.
WELL DONE TOM FOR GETTING BRONZE IN THE OLYMPICS!!
In this book it shows the highlights of his life but also the downfalls. It is an easy book for teens to relate to due to the fact that he is still a teen himself.
It is full of pictures and information and i now love him even more.
WELL DONE TOM FOR GETTING BRONZE IN THE OLYMPICS!!
June 30, 2012
Fantastic read, usually I don't like autobios from people so young but this one was actually pretty good (and I don't even like diving, just Tom). Hopefully might be a success at the Olympics!
June 23, 2012
Inspiring book. Hard to believe he has achieved so much and still only 18!
Good luck Tom at the Olympics!
Good luck Tom at the Olympics!
Want to read
August 7, 2012I would read this just for the pictures...bahahaha I'm so ridiculous. Someone help me please. -_-
November 30, 2012
Amazing book, read over 5 times, I love it , I recommend it 100%
December 25, 2012
AHHHHHH! Read this in a day, love him.
July 2, 2022
This was a great, easy read. Diving is one of the sports I most enjoy watching when the Olympics rolls around, and Tom Daley was always an eye-catcher with his boyish smile. His story is told simply and straightforwardly, and reading this is like growing up and training with him. Like his beloved father he is positive and always looks on the bright side of things, and his love for his family and theirs for him shines very clearly through his words. My only disappointment with this book was that it ends too soon - I didn't realize it stopped before the 2012 London Olympics, and I had been looking forward to reading about it. Fortunately, I found out he wrote a second memoir, so I'm off to look for it now.
August 16, 2021
I’ve read Tom’s story so many times and I always get emotional. His sorry tells how he started from when he was 7 to just before London 2012. Re-reading this in 2021 has made me so proud of him and how far he has come.
January 30, 2020
Actual Rating: 3.5 / 5
did-not-finish
June 11, 2021I got this as a Christmas present years ago and never read it - unfortunately I’m not interested in reading it so passing it on to a new home!
August 21, 2021
3.5 stars
January 3, 2024
I read this book when I was 16 years old, and it’s one that has stuck with me. I was going through my exams at the time, and reading Toms story and his own successes with his exams, Spanish in particular (which was my favourite subject) made me want to work harder. The ending also had me absolutely sobbing. A great book.
February 22, 2025
Such a wonderful story. I really became engaged with the story and felt ever emotion come through in his words. I definitely recommend reading this book. I'm so happy I found it on libby.
October 21, 2025
Enjoyed reading about Tom, the things hes been through and where he is now.
March 14, 2017
Truly an inspiring story
January 16, 2014
Tears, tears, tears!
I loved this book. Living in Canada I knew nothing about Tom Daley until he came out. From there I watched Splash! and his Olympic performance and was captivated by his looks and charm.
I picked up this book to learn more about him, I had heard his father passed away but didn't know any of the back story. The book is very well written, full of pictures which were great, except once when his father is passing away in the story and there's a big shirtless glamour shot on the page. But once is okay.
I felt I really got a sense of who Tom the person is. One would expect an autobiography of an 18 year-old to be more flighty and self-serving but through his tremendous dedication to sport Tom has gained insight into the world.
As I was reading I considered the position he was in writing this book. For example, when his diving partner bad mouths him in the press, Tom can't write in the book that he hated him and he'd never liked him anyway and he smelled bad. It all has to be controlled, he can't be seen to be lashing out. Not that I thought he felt that way, but in his early teens people can get moody. So it was a challenge writing a story of a short life and making it interesting and not stepping on anyone's toes. Not an enviable assignment but Daley pulls if off well.
I finished the book on an airplane and I would recommend not reading the end in public. I cried and cried, more than I've cried in a long time, perhaps more than I've ever cried for a book. I like though that the book ends on an uplifting note and that some hope for the future can be found in tragedy.
I have never watched the Olympics, I have read only one book on sports, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game and it was great to learn about a whole new world. I enjoyed reading this and would always hurry to pick it back up.
I loved this book. Living in Canada I knew nothing about Tom Daley until he came out. From there I watched Splash! and his Olympic performance and was captivated by his looks and charm.
I picked up this book to learn more about him, I had heard his father passed away but didn't know any of the back story. The book is very well written, full of pictures which were great, except once when his father is passing away in the story and there's a big shirtless glamour shot on the page. But once is okay.
I felt I really got a sense of who Tom the person is. One would expect an autobiography of an 18 year-old to be more flighty and self-serving but through his tremendous dedication to sport Tom has gained insight into the world.
As I was reading I considered the position he was in writing this book. For example, when his diving partner bad mouths him in the press, Tom can't write in the book that he hated him and he'd never liked him anyway and he smelled bad. It all has to be controlled, he can't be seen to be lashing out. Not that I thought he felt that way, but in his early teens people can get moody. So it was a challenge writing a story of a short life and making it interesting and not stepping on anyone's toes. Not an enviable assignment but Daley pulls if off well.
I finished the book on an airplane and I would recommend not reading the end in public. I cried and cried, more than I've cried in a long time, perhaps more than I've ever cried for a book. I like though that the book ends on an uplifting note and that some hope for the future can be found in tragedy.
I have never watched the Olympics, I have read only one book on sports, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game and it was great to learn about a whole new world. I enjoyed reading this and would always hurry to pick it back up.
July 29, 2012
With the build up to the Olympics Tom Daley has featured more and more in the news and on TV and in the media in genereal, as a Diver myself (obviously nowhere near his level) I've always been intrigued with him and wanted to know more, how he got into Diving, what it took to be as good as he is. This book is the way to look into his world and see all he has been through.
This book is very honest and gives you a great insight into his life. It talks a lot about his diving (as expected) and explains a lot about different dives and scoring and difficulty levels. I found this interesting and I followed it easily as I already have a basic understanding of these things, but to be honest i think it is explained in a basic enough way that anyone could understand it.
Tom takes you back to his early childhood and how he first got into Diving, right up to a few months ago, waiting for the London Olympics to start.
Follow his ups and downs in life from success in competitions to injuries, bullying, fear and losing his dad. He hasn't had an easy life but he has never given up, he seems to have good values and a good work ethic.
I was in tears when I read the chapters about his dad's illness and death, as I lost my Gran to cancer I understand what he went through and how hard it is for a person to just not be there anymore. You can really feel the love and respect he had for his dad, it radiates of the page. This book throughout is really heart-felt and honest.
I know this is different from my normal read, but I do like autobiographies if they are about people i have an interest in and this one gave me just what I was looking for. Including some awesome photos of his Diving.
A great read for all Olympic fans!!!
This book is very honest and gives you a great insight into his life. It talks a lot about his diving (as expected) and explains a lot about different dives and scoring and difficulty levels. I found this interesting and I followed it easily as I already have a basic understanding of these things, but to be honest i think it is explained in a basic enough way that anyone could understand it.
Tom takes you back to his early childhood and how he first got into Diving, right up to a few months ago, waiting for the London Olympics to start.
Follow his ups and downs in life from success in competitions to injuries, bullying, fear and losing his dad. He hasn't had an easy life but he has never given up, he seems to have good values and a good work ethic.
I was in tears when I read the chapters about his dad's illness and death, as I lost my Gran to cancer I understand what he went through and how hard it is for a person to just not be there anymore. You can really feel the love and respect he had for his dad, it radiates of the page. This book throughout is really heart-felt and honest.
I know this is different from my normal read, but I do like autobiographies if they are about people i have an interest in and this one gave me just what I was looking for. Including some awesome photos of his Diving.
A great read for all Olympic fans!!!
August 26, 2016
4.5/5 (not 5/5 just because I wish I knew more about post-London 2012)
I know I'm four years late but it doesn't really matter. It gives new perspectives!
I never really thought I would have a role model one day, someone to look up to but... I do now.
I'm totally fangirling here but I'm glad to see that some personalities are really grounded, genuine and down-to-earth but so inspiring at the same time!
When I say inspiring, I mean I'm completely at awe with everything this athlete of MY AGE has accomplished. I mean, he's gone through so much, from his dad's death to his coming out and now Rio. I wouldn't know how to achieve so much and stay positive at the same time! What's not to like? He seems like such a strong, kind and genuine person who you can relate to even if you're not into sports. I totally understand his success in the media and I think he deserves it because he's hard-working and honest and I'm glad some people can have celebrities like him to look up to when they feel like nobody's on their side or when they need a little inspiration...!
Finally, let's not forget that he completely highlighted the diving sport, which is a great thing in my opinion. Before I heard about him, I had no idea (and no interest to learn I admit) of what diving was all about and I'm sure it was the case for a lot of his fans/people. But he brought the sport under the spotlight and now, I know a lot more about the sport. However, I'm not going to pretend I will watch every diving competition if he isn't there but I can know appreciate the beauty and the difficulty of diving with a bite more knowledge.
I hope he will achieve his goals and I hope for the best in his sport career and in his personal life.
Onwards and Upwards!
I know I'm four years late but it doesn't really matter. It gives new perspectives!
I never really thought I would have a role model one day, someone to look up to but... I do now.
I'm totally fangirling here but I'm glad to see that some personalities are really grounded, genuine and down-to-earth but so inspiring at the same time!
When I say inspiring, I mean I'm completely at awe with everything this athlete of MY AGE has accomplished. I mean, he's gone through so much, from his dad's death to his coming out and now Rio. I wouldn't know how to achieve so much and stay positive at the same time! What's not to like? He seems like such a strong, kind and genuine person who you can relate to even if you're not into sports. I totally understand his success in the media and I think he deserves it because he's hard-working and honest and I'm glad some people can have celebrities like him to look up to when they feel like nobody's on their side or when they need a little inspiration...!
Finally, let's not forget that he completely highlighted the diving sport, which is a great thing in my opinion. Before I heard about him, I had no idea (and no interest to learn I admit) of what diving was all about and I'm sure it was the case for a lot of his fans/people. But he brought the sport under the spotlight and now, I know a lot more about the sport. However, I'm not going to pretend I will watch every diving competition if he isn't there but I can know appreciate the beauty and the difficulty of diving with a bite more knowledge.
I hope he will achieve his goals and I hope for the best in his sport career and in his personal life.
Onwards and Upwards!
May 21, 2016
Tom Daley is one of the youngest (if not THE youngest) world champion for diving. This book is a biography of his life and normally I am really not a biography/autobiography person however I got this for a birthday present as I am a huge fan of Tom so I figured I’d read it.
I was so impressed by this book! I’m not going to give a review of it really because it’s a biography, you can’t review someone’s life. However I suppose you’re wondering why I’m now writing a post on it with this being a book review blog – well dear reader I am writing this post because it really surprised me. I was expecting a really slow book about every unimportant thing that happened in the life of Tom Daley, oh how I was mistaken!
To read more about this review please check out my blog at:
https://bookgeek2015.wordpress.com/
I was so impressed by this book! I’m not going to give a review of it really because it’s a biography, you can’t review someone’s life. However I suppose you’re wondering why I’m now writing a post on it with this being a book review blog – well dear reader I am writing this post because it really surprised me. I was expecting a really slow book about every unimportant thing that happened in the life of Tom Daley, oh how I was mistaken!
To read more about this review please check out my blog at:
https://bookgeek2015.wordpress.com/
December 30, 2012
I am a Tom Daley fan and he was truly amazing at the Olympics 2012 London!
I don't usually read autobiography's but Toms story was really eye opening and awe inspiring. The amount of pressure he has to face and deal with is extreme.
Toms talent is shown through the book, you get to hear about when he first began diving, his experiences and his first Olympic game at the age of 14. The most moving and capturing section of this book would be the part was when Tom describes the relationship he and his dad had. His dad supported Tom and his diving massively and it was heart wrenching to hear due to his dad having died before the 2012 Olympics, one of Toms most pivotal events in his life.
Overall I love this book and recommend to any reader.
I don't usually read autobiography's but Toms story was really eye opening and awe inspiring. The amount of pressure he has to face and deal with is extreme.
Toms talent is shown through the book, you get to hear about when he first began diving, his experiences and his first Olympic game at the age of 14. The most moving and capturing section of this book would be the part was when Tom describes the relationship he and his dad had. His dad supported Tom and his diving massively and it was heart wrenching to hear due to his dad having died before the 2012 Olympics, one of Toms most pivotal events in his life.
Overall I love this book and recommend to any reader.
September 20, 2019
The strength of this memoir lies with Tom's relationship with his father, a constant presence of support all the way through - even after his death. Rob Daley was so beautifully memorialized in this that when I got to the pages regarding his passing, I was literally crying, as though I'd lost a friend. At times, the narrative does get trapped in the "and then this happened, and then this happened" style, but Daley managed to find genuinely wonderful moments to talk about in this memoir. I would have enjoyed a chapter or two about his coming out process, but I had to keep reminding myself that this was written and published before that happened and, in fact, even before the 2012 Olympics. Perhaps he can add thoughts about those events to the Anniversary Editions.
December 17, 2016
I managed to only read half of this. I couldn't go on. Don't get me wrong, Tom is no doubt a very hardworking, disciplined and caring sportsman with lots of talent at such young age. U.K. Loves him, so does the world. This is a great coffee book though with many cool shots and amazing photos. I thought : may as well just make it into a photo book since he has so many fans and they all love his pictures. One very inspiring bit I got out of this: one day I would like to see myself doing a handstand. So cool.
August 14, 2012
I thought it was a really good book, but most of it was about his dives. Yes I know he's a diver, but I wish it could have focused a bit more on his life away from diving. The chapter about his Dad was very touching, and it's something I can relate to. I also understand diving scoring a bit more after reading it as well!
The pictures were very good, and I like him even more!!
I recommend that you read this!
The pictures were very good, and I like him even more!!
I recommend that you read this!
September 12, 2012
After watching him in the 2012 Summer Olympics, I really became interested in reading this book, and since reading this, this has become one of my favorite books. It's really inspiring and makes you want to shoot for your dreams. I wish it taked more about his life, and less about the diving aspect, however he is a diver. This is a quick read for anyone who is interested in diving, or Tom Daley as a diver himself.
(Project; Movie Trailer)
(Project; Movie Trailer)
February 23, 2017
This is a lovely book, with some fabulous photographs of Tom from a small boy to present day. Most people know the basics of Tom's life, but it was interesting to read more indepth into his life - the fact that he loved diving from a very young age, how focussed he is (and has always been), the bullying at school, and of course his close relationship with his dad. It made me laugh and it made me cry. If you have an interest in Tom and diving, I would recommend you read it.
February 1, 2013
Amazing. I was given this book as I'm a fan of Tom Daley and diving but this isn't a cash in like some think.
This book will make you smile, laugh and cry. The emotional and physical journey this young man has already been on in his life makes a very good read.
An excellent motivating read.
This book will make you smile, laugh and cry. The emotional and physical journey this young man has already been on in his life makes a very good read.
An excellent motivating read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews