From the Back Cover:
The inspiring story of a pint-size American gymnast with a big smile and an even bigger heart
You’ve seen her perform gravity-defying gymnastics moves. You’ve seen her win Olympic medals in Beijing and the coveted mirror ball trophy on Dancing with the Stars. You’ve also seen her land on her feet―with her trademark smile―even when things haven’t gone her way.
Despite achieving more success and celebrity in her first two decades than most people experience in a lifetime, things haven’t been easy for Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson. Her first gymnastics coach told her family she lacked talent. Her modest upbringing in Iowa made elite competition unlikely. Although she won four medals at the Beijing Olympics, she was denied the big prize she’d dreamed of―the all-around gold medal. She had a terrifying experience with a stalker and would-be kidnapper. And after suffering a potentially career-ending injury, Shawn ultimately had to rethink what was truly important. What did she want most in life? What kind of success was worth pursuing? Would she ever find true faith, lasting hope, and real love?
In Winning Balance, for the first time Shawn reveals her journey so far: her against-the-odds quest to become a gymnastics world champion, her flirtation with Hollywood glamour, her growing faith, and her struggle to find herself. It’s the full, behind-the-scenes story of how a young woman who won Olympic gold on the balance beam learned new lessons about balance― as well as love, faith, and what winning really means.
What the World Is Saying about Shawn Johnson
“Perhaps the best gymnast in the world―a compact, powerful package who is just as at home on the beam and bars as she is in the vault and floor events. . . . Shawn Johnson has an easy smile and confidence and rarely betrays the nervousness she says she feels at every competition.”
―Time magazine
“She packs the power of someone twice her size yet somehow manages to still look dainty. She tumbles without fear, whether it’s on the floor or up on the balance beam, and makes the toughest tricks look easy. She’s the type of gymnast one can’t help but watch.”
―ESPN.com
“A powerful tumbler and nerveless competitor . . . Johnson smiles and bubbles while competing― a 4' 9" firecracker.”
―Sports Illustrated
“Not only an extraordinary athlete, but also something altogether more profound and worthy of cele- bration: an uncommon human being . . . a young woman whose gifts stretch well beyond sports.”
―The Christian Science Monitor
From the Inside Flap:
What the World Is Saying about Shawn Johnson
“Perhaps the best gymnast in the world—a compact, powerful package who is just as at home on the beam and bars as she is in the vault and floor events. . . . Shawn Johnson has an easy smile and confidence and rarely betrays the nervousness she says she feels at every competition.”
—Time magazine
“She packs the power of someone twice her size yet somehow manages to still look dainty. She tumbles without fear, whether it’s on the floor or up on the balance beam, and makes the toughest tricks look easy. She’s the type of gymnast one can’t help but watch.”
—ESPN.com
“A powerful tumbler and nerveless competitor . . . Johnson smiles and bubbles while competing— a 4' 9" firecracker.”
—Sports Illustrated
“Not only an extraordinary athlete, but also something altogether more profound and worthy of cele- bration: an uncommon human being . . . a young woman whose gifts stretch well beyond sports.”
—The Christian Science Monitor
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