Chalked Up: Inside Elite Gymnastics' Merciless Coaching, Overzealous Parents, Eating Disorders, and Elusive Olympic Dreams

Amazing memoir that really opens your eyes to the gymnastics world. I also loved the fact that she was from Jerseyyyy =]. No but seriously, i recommend it to anyone who loves watching our Americans perform at the Olympics; you'll have so much more respect for them after.

One of the worst books I have read in a long time. This book represents the experience of one person in the world of competitive gymnastics, and she gladly gives the public what it wants; A sensentaionalized veiw inside the sport. It is too bad that she had such a difficult experience, however this book doesn't represent the experience of the majority of competitive gymnasts. It feels as if the author is searching for pity. She plays the role of the victim quite well, and is eager to blame all but herself for her experience in the sport. This book is not worth the effort it takes to read it.

The title says it all - a good read on the inside scoop of competitive gymnastics, written by a former world champion. An interesting world to dip into for a few days...

I am such a sucker for an auto-bio, but this was such an interesting look into her life inside elite gymnastics and the real normalizing of severe eating disorders.

2008- Although not what I was expecting (I thought it would be more about several gymnasts, not just focus on one) this was a fast, interesting read. I think this book helped Sey get out a lot of her childhood issues.

Interesting read. Not my experience of gymnastics, but I didn't make it to the same level that the author did. Definitely a picture of the sport as it was in the midst of big changes. I can only hope that the author soon learns how to let.it.go. and move on so that she can one day enjoy gymnastics just for the fun of it again (either watching or doing).

I can honestly say that this book is a good read. Do I think it is factual? No. Do I think it is one person's honest PERSPECTIVE of her gymnastics career? Absolutely.

The author still feels miserable at the end. She didn't really get anything but pain out of gymnastics, and once having been the best now makes her present life feel like a waste. Too much blame is put on her past for her current attitude. It's part of her past, and part of her present that will help her deal with her current feelings. There is some sort of crash where there is no real outcome from the book.

It's kind of like Little Girls in Pretty Boxes, but a memoir of one girl instead. The 1986 National Champion. All the usual stuff is there: eating disorders, abusive coaches, repeat injuries and then ignoring them. It dragged a little for me in places, but overall it's not bad. She's seriously pretty pissed about gymnastics. It just goes to show once again--stay the hell away from elite gymnastics. Not worth it.

for me, this was a powerful book. i got it because i enjoy gymnastics and like memoirs...but surprisingly this book provided me with a mirror to some of my own experiences....not that i've ever experienced such abuse at the hands of horse trainers, but Sey's experiences really brought home some of the mental and emotional reasons behind enduring such high levels of training. i also related to her fear of letting gymnastics go, because she didn't know herself without it...i think i'm at that place right now. all in all, this was an incredible book. well written and moving. definitely a keeper.