Nancy Kerrigan: In My Own Words

by Nancy Kerrigan, Steve Woodward

The 1994 Olympic skater chronicles her tomboy youth during which she vowed to succeed, the family support that saw her through her training, the Detroit attack that left her injured, and her struggles with fame. Original.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Sports

68 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Surreysmum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Juvenile (aimed at ages 8-12). Nancy does not make the mistake of saying too much in her own words! However, there are some interesting passages in this book, not least her assertion that after speaking with the FBI agents investigating the attack against her, she was completely convinced of Tonya Harding's involvement in the plot. The contrast between her account of the '92 Olympics (where she apparently had a wonderful time) and the stress- and media-ridden '94 Olympics, is also quite striking.

[Diane Waddington · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good read about how hard it is to get to the Olympics and the money it takes and the determination and hard work of the girl that is trying to be a world class and Olympian champion.

[Madeline · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I am a fan of her skating, Nancy just comes across as entitled in her book. In between reveals about the immense costs of figure skating are reveals about how much support she had: extended family helped with expenses, her parents ensured the nuclear family always had food and shelter, her father worked several jobs to support her skating, and every spare penny made by her family was put into skating. Her thesis is that if one works hard, no matter what you're up against, one can achieve their goals. But not everyone has a family who are willing and able to make so many sacrifices to support an expensive, time-consuming hobby. Her parents' rationing of money suggests that Nancy's two brothers were not afforded the opportunity to pursue their own interests if they'd wished.

Nancy also failed to acknowledge the ways she was lucky after her skating really took off: her physical beauty earned her favoritism by the skating establishment and helped inflate her scores in competitions where she did not skate well, they attracted the interest of Vera Wang (whose costumes also benefitted her scores), and that she was offered many endorsement deals (to an extent that most skaters receive only once they've become Olympic gold medalists) that catapulted her into wealth. The decline of her main rival, Tonya Harding, due in no small degree to martial abuse, allowed Nancy to secure herself as the US and World favorite in '93. A great family, good looks, inflated scores and endorsements, free designer outfits, and the personal misfortunes of your biggest rival happen by chance. They are not the result of hard work or determination. Of course, Nancy's elegance on the ice was the result of her work, and that was no doubt a part of her success, too. But her refusal to acknowledge the real luck played and her privilege was hard to stomach. Let me put it this way: Nancy describes the collar of her '92 Olympics free skate Vera Wang dress as "diamond-studded" with no comment as to how lucky she was to have received that dress and how it affected her win of a bronze medal in that event. She may be one of the luckiest skaters to ever live, and I think her success was easier to achieve that she was willing to admit, and it was certainly easier than most skaters.

It was interesting to hear her perspective on her amateur skating career and the scandal, but overall the book struck me as too disingenuous. I know I'm much older than the target audience, but the writing was also extremely bland and hard to enjoy.