Twenty-year-old American gymnast Shawn Johnson is a four-time Olympic gold
and silver medalist; a national- and world-champion athlete. Already a popular
role model to all ages, in 2009 she captured the national spotlight again when
she won the widely popular Dancing with the Stars. Yet Shawn is no
stranger to hard work and adversity. Her loss of the major gymnastics prize
everyone expected her to win in Beijing, the all-around Olympic gold medal, was
the loss of a dream she’d worked for since childhood. And later, she suffered a
potentially career-ending injury in a skiing accident that forced her life to a
halt and made her rethink what was really important. She wasn’t sure who she was
anymore. She wasn’t sure what her goals were. And she wasn’t sure she was
satisfied with where she was with her faith and God. Could she find the right
kind of success in life—the kind that doesn’t involve medals or trophies, but
peace, love, and lasting joy? This is the amazing true journey of how the young
woman who won an Olympic gold medal on the balance beam became even more
balanced.
I didn't watch the 2009 Olympics and really hadn't heard of Shawn before reading her book. I really enjoyed it. There were many times that I had to remind myself that she was only a teenager when most of the things that she talked about happened. She's done and learned so much more than most of us have in our lifetimes. She showed me that there are many times we need to trust God and realize that he's got bigger and better plans for our lives than we can ever image. I was very disappointed to find out just before I finished reading her book Shawn had to retire from gymnastics.
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