COURAGE TO SOAR by Simone Biles

COURAGE TO SOAR by Simone Biles

I worried when I picked up the book that I wouldn't be interested. I fell in love with the gymnasts during the Rio Olympics, especially Simone Biles. But, I wondered what a young girl could fill the pages of a book with.  But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I could hear Simone's voice in the stories told. She speaks openly about her birth mom and early upbringing. I really like the way she told the stories that took us through her rise in the gymnastics world. She seems very open, even talking about her conversations  with her sports psychologist.  These gave an even greater insight to who she is. 

The book gets really rushed at the end. She takes her time talking us through her early years, and spends quite a bit of time on the 2011-2013 era, but after Worlds 2013, there's only a chapter or so before we're suddenly at the Olympics. It almost felt like they ran out of time or the book had to be a certain length and so they cut a bunch of stuff. There's almost zero material from 2014.i would have loved to know about some of her experiences after the Olympics.

It was great to have a peek into her life and hear her thoughts.  I loved reading about her successes and even her perceived failures.  If you are a fan of gymnastics or know someone who is, this is a great book!