Is Your Daughter Now Interested in the Olympics? Shawn Johnson’s Book is a Great Read

New book by former Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson is a perfect read for fans of this year’s gamesJessica Driscoll reviews Shawn Johnson’s memoir, “A Winning Balance:”

Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson shows off her medals at her welcome home ceremony at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2008. (AP Photo/Kevin Sanders)
Winning Balance, by four time Olympic medalist Shawn Johnson, is the perfect book for anyone who expects to be glued to the television during the next few weeks, absorbing every minute of this year’s games. Johnson’s autobiography gives readers insight into the heart of a true Olympian and transports them into the Olympic experience, through the eyes of a 3-year-old budding gymnast and a teenager weighed down by gold medal dreams. Throughout her story, Johnson testifies to God’s grace, from her short and stocky birth size, uncharacteristic for gymnasts, to her Olympic experience and her plans for the future.

When she was just 3, Johnson’s parents enrolled her in a local gymnastics program in Des Moines, Iowa,to help burn off a restless amount of energy. After only a short period of training, Johnson’s first coach told her mother that she was simply “full of energy, but not full of talent.” A short time later, Johnson’s mother transferred her to Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute, in West Des Moines, where her Olympic career begin.

Read all of her review here.

Also, leave a comment for your chance to win your own copy of this book, written by Shawn Johnson with help from Nancy French!  we’ll announce the winner on Monday, August 6th!