It's Not About Perfect

May 4, 2015
Miller, the most decorated gymnast in American history, recounts the steps (with sportswriter Peary) that brought her from an ordinary childhood in Edmond, Okla., to extraordinary accomplishment and fame on the Olympic stage. A shy little girl who initially walked in her older
sister’s shadow, Miller began studying gymnastics at the age of five when her mother signed her up for classes as an alternative to jumping dangerously on the backyard trampoline. Miller takes readers through every step of her gymnastics career—from her first routines on the
balance beam through her stunning 1992 Olympic debut and her dramatic win, in 1996, of the Olympic gold medal in the balance beam and the team gold medal as a member of the “Magnificent Seven.” Miller shares the life lessons that brought Olympic success and gave her the courage to battle ovarian cancer in 2011: goal setting, putting in the work, learning from mistakes, thinking positive, accepting help from others, and never giving up. Sports enthusiasts will applaud this in-depth account of Miller’s life; others will be drawn to the inspiring story of a strong and gracious athlete and women’s health advocate.

May 15, 2015
Like the Little Engine That Could, Olympic gold-medal-winning gymnast Miller inspires others with her work ethic. I was never the strongest, most flexible or even most talented gymnast, but Steve (my coach) was the first to say that I could outwork anyone and, somehow, turn it on in clutch situations, she writes. Injured with a fractured elbow, pulled hamstring, or ripped stomach muscle? She figures out how to train while healing. Defeated in a competition? Diagnosed with ovarian cancer? She searches for the positive in the negative. Miller also believes in setting goals, from making it to the Olympics to undergoing nine weeks of chemotherapy to give herself a better chance to live a long life with her husband and son. With the help of coauthor Peary, a sports writer and film critic, Miller shows what it takes to be a best-in-the-world athlete. She quotes Nelson Mandela, Don't judge me by my successes but rather how many times I fell and got back up again. Words for everyone to live by.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2015

Tough as Miller was to lead the U.S. Olympic women's gymnastic team to its first gold in 1996 despite an injured wrist, she was even tougher to fight ovarian cancer--and emerge both healthy and a new mom. Inspirational.

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