Sasha Cohen: Fire on Ice (Revised Edition): Autobiography of a Champion Figure Skater

by Sasha Cohen, Sasha Cohen, Amanda Maciel

Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen tells her story -- on and off the ice champion figure skater Sasha Cohen captured the world's attention with her exquisite spiral and outstanding layback spin at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. In Torino, she reigned as the most intriguing contender in figure skating at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games and triumphed with the silver medal. For the first time, Sasha tells her amazing story, in her own words, This is the official autobiography of the world's most captivating skater, on and off the ice.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports, Figure Skating, Biography, Memoir, Autobiography, Biography Memoir

224 pages, Paperback

First published March 29, 2005

Reviews

[Cami · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting, quick read but it didn't really tell me anything I couldn't have read on Wikipedia or some other third-party source. It's mostly an outline of a biography and not too in depth about anything. You have to imagine for yourself what it must have been like to train relentlessly because she just mentions that she was tired and runs you through event after event. It is pretty superficial for a biography; I wish she gave us some more insights into her motivation, her deeper thoughts and feelings, and this need to always win. I thought it was funny that she always commented on the hotels and the food wherever she went. I would like to know more about how she managed to start later in the game than other competitors but then somehow surpassed them--was it the time commitment that made some drop out? did she train harder or smarter? was her family in a different situation to be able to support her? I also would have loved to know more about her family and their personalities, about her maternal family's Russian culture, and how in the world she was able to afford to do all this traveling and competing. Something in her descriptions rubbed me the wrong way. She wasn't really bragging or cocky but she wasn't exactly humble either. And what about her family? It appears that her dad drops out of the family at some point. How does that affect her skating or her life in general? Is there a reason she doesn't open up about herself in an autobiography?

[Lily Gorelick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This autobiography was pretty good!! I definitely found a few things interesting about Sasha Cohen while reading this!! There were a couple of things that I actually related to as an athlete. I recommend if you are looking for a non-fiction book to read. It was only 206 pages, not 224 like it says.

[VampireNovelFan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first edition of this book was printed before Sasha's 2006 Olympic Silver medal win. We learn about how her love for skating was ignited as well as how she started out as a gymnast. A lot of her gymnast qualities translated into her abilities on the ice, namely her flexibility and beautiful attention to detail. We learn about her comeback from a potentially career ending back injury as well as a few difficult defeats.

While the book was interesting, it didn't feel very gritty or emotional. Sasha's career can pretty much be culminated as a big "what if". We never really see her mention what gets in her head that leads to her settling for any other place but first. While she is a strong short program skater, her long programs have always been her Achilles heel. She usually botches a jump which has cost her two Olympic Gold medals and two World Championship titles. We won't even mention the Nationals gold medals she let pass her by. She is my favorite figure skater of all time, but this book pretty much ignored the elephant in the room. Basically, it's nice back story, but superficial at best.

*Review also posted to Amazon

[Courtney Bieber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an autobiography about Sasha Cohen, a figure skater. She performed in the 2002 and the 2006 Olympics. She won a silver medal in the 2006 Olympics. She began skating at age seven, when she was too much to control. She loved skating from the moment she stepped on the ice. In the middle of her career, she suffered from a horrible back injury. This part of the book was very suspenseful because she did not know if she could skate again. After some physical therapy, she finally got better. Sasha reveals with the world the highs and lows of her career.

I liked this book because I liked the mood of it. In some parts, Sasha was unsure of what would happen with her career, but regardless she was happy throughout the entire book. I liked how she wrote it so she was able to get her point across. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys skating. You do not have to be an expert to read this.

[Lennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to watch Sasha Cohen skate when she competed at the 2002 US National Championships when they were held in Los Angeles. Although I think she's a good skater and I admire her artistry, I was never convinced that she had the same passion or drive as Michelle Kwan did, who competed year after year, to defend her titles. It's too bad that she left the sport when she did to pursue acting. I still enjoyed reading this book and learning about her journey and what it took to become one of the top female figure skaters in the world.

[Salsabrarian]

Covers the figure-skater's life from her early years through the 2005 Nationals in Portland. As an energetic girl, she started out taking gymnastics before her mother switched her to ice-skating classes. From there, she chronicles her training with various coaches and the climb up the competitive ladder to senior status. The book provides some behind-the-scenes views of competitive figure skating and interesting anecdotes of her young life, but ultimately, the reader never gets a deeper sense of Sasha Cohen as a person.

[Chalida · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Must read for Sasha cohen fan.
Sasha is 2006 US gold medalist at US National and 2006 Torino Olympic silver medalist.

She delivered my most inspiring program in Olympic 2006 in Torino despite of two major mistakes at the beginning. She is the reason why I became infatuatated with figure skate.

Her flexibility and beautiful spirals are believed to be the best in the world.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing! Sasha is my favorite figure skater and as a skater myself, she really inspires me. I remember reading this when I was little and I really loved it. I have been a fan of Sasha ever since! If you love ice skating, or even if you don't but are interested, you should read it! It's really good!! :3

[Brigitte · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book!!!! I loved it!! It's provides a lot of information about Sasha, her life, her skating career, and so much more. If you're a figure skater or like figure skating, I suggest you read it!!

[Rachael · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was just okay. Nothing all that earth shattering. She loves to shop and eat. That's about it.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow. totally interesting, gives a great insight to the world of figure skating

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I especially like how Sasha herself wrote this book. It's a very personal, up-close look into her life as a champion figure skater! I enjoyed reading it.

[Susan Mabus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was an inspirational story of agirl who had adream of becoming an olympic figureskater and her triumph when she won the silvermedal inthe 2006 olympics.

[Alix Lewandowsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Auto.

[Aril-Elisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A must have if you are an ice skater competitor!

[Ella J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would be great for those who like Ice Skating or autobiographies.

[Helena Pinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book, I love sasha, she's my favourite skater. It was amazing to read about her life. Great book

[Ashlea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good written book!

[Ayu Yudha · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5* - mental juara banget deh. hebat.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sasha Cohen was born in California in 1984. Her actual name is Alexandra Pauline Cohen, but Sasha is a Russian nickname that her parents called her. Her mother, Galina, was a Jewish immigrant from Odessa (Soviet Ukraine), and was a ballet dancer. Her father was a lawyer. She got involved in figure skating at a young age, but did not get really serious about it until 2000. She won several medals in the U.S. Championships, Cup of Russia, and Trophee Lalique. She went on to the 2002-2003 Grand Prix Final held in Saint Petersburg, where she won the gold medal. Her 2003-2004 season was her best season, where she won gold at Skate America, Skate Canada, and the Trophee Lalique. She won silver at the Grand Prix Final in Colorado Springs. She also placed second in the US Championships and World Championships. She did suffer from some injuries throughout her skating career, which she managed to come back from in glorious fashion.

In 2006, she went to the Olympic Games, held in Turin, Italy. She overcame injury and sickness to get that place, and I think that is extremely inspirational. If you want something, you have to get up and show up. You have to fight through fatigue, illness, and injury. If you are determined and work hard, you can accomplish a lot of things. She did fall during her routine, but managed to get the silver medal. She subsequently had more falls and injuries before retiring in 2010.

I found this book on Thriftbooks, and I really enjoyed watching Sasha skate. She was beautiful to watch on the ice. I didn't really know much about her as a person, so this was a very interesting book. I wish that it would have had an updated section, but this book only covered up to the 2006 season. At any rate, if you are a fan of figure skating or Sasha, check it out.

[Sian Poulter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read, easy book to read before bed. This was a book I enjoyed reading and actually made me fall in love with skating and want to give it a go myself. It showed her ups and downs throughout her career and goes back to where it all began. Would happily read this again.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book i really enjoyed reading it and learning more about Sasha cohen life.

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it hard to keep track of people in this book. Names would be randomly thrown at you without any sort of explanation of who they are.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very simplistic autobiography-- Cohen sticks strictly to the facts about her life story, though she does offer interesting descriptions of her competitions and coaches throughout the years. The book is geared toward younger readers, something I didn't realize when picking it up. That said, perhaps due to the intended audience, I found the book rather dull and uninspiring, considering it was written by an American champion. Only two stars.

[Gabby M · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was the autobiography Sasha Cohen, one of my all-time favorite skaters, “wrote” (it seems like probably mostly dictated to a ghostwriter) after her silver medal in Torino. Y’all, it’s basically a book-length Wikipedia article. No tea is spilled, no secrets are shared. The most interesting thing in it is that Sasha loves ice cream.

[Debora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick read. Too early written in her life/ career. Needs more depth. Good read for just knowledge