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Getting a Grip on My Body, My Mind, My Self
by Monica Seles
Avery
ISBN 978-1-58333-330-3
Published April 2009 - Hardcover - 290 pages - $26.00

When Monica Seles burst onto the tennis scene, I thought of her as a pixie.  Cute and giggly.  But a pixie she wasn't, she was more like a determined warrior.  And to prove her fierce determination and immense talent, she became the youngest player to win the French Open at sixteen years old back in 1990.  More recently, we saw Monica on Dancing With the Stars, the first time I'd seen her in years and years.  She looked so grown up, but there was something in her eyes I'd not noticed decades ago.  A little out of her depth and a little frightened.  Her book tells the story of how she tried to gain back the life she had prior to being stabbed (yes, stabbed!) at age nineteen on a tennis court during a match with Magdalena Maleeva, the death of her father, her depression, and her weight gain and attempts to lose the weight.  As one who'd train extensively to become fit and match-ready, I loved this line of hers: "It's amazing how the benefits of a six-hour workout can be destroyed during a twenty-minute eating binge."  Those who are struggling with weight issues, take that line and make it your own!  Monica is from Novi Sad (in the former Yugoslavia) where she began her tennis career, trained by her father, before moving to the States (Florida) on a scholarship to Nick Bolletieri's tennis academy.  She talks about how she adapted to the American way of life (food, food, food) and the work ethic she adopted.  Her amazing nine Grand Slam titles against some of the best players at the time (Evert, Navratilova, Sanchez-Vicario, Graf, Sabatini, and Capriati among others) at such a young age made her a phenomenon.  Seles developed an eating disorder (more, more, more) which packed on the pounds, did nothing for her morale or game, and hindered her return to competitive tennis.  She discusses this in detail.
Visit Monica's website.
Conclusion - Beautifully written and infinitely interesting.  No hint of "poor me," thankfully.  I loved reading Monica's story.  Great job!