Play Book Tag discussion
March 2018: Autobiography
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Open - Andre Agassi - 3.8 Stars
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Susie wrote: "3.8 is very specific!"Yes, it kinda fits with this book. Very specific. Perfect.
This actually sounds really interesting. I had a crush on Agassi way back when he was starting, around the '86 time frame when I was in high school. :-)
LibraryCin wrote: "This actually sounds really interesting. I had a crush on Agassi way back when he was starting, around the '86 time frame when I was in high school. :-)"It was a really good read. Very well written. Just be prepared for mental instability and depression and loss of self. In the audiobook, it can have an effect on you for 11 hrs. The last 7 were mostly on the upswing. I do recommend the book if you like tennis and even more so if you like Agassi.
This sounds like an interesting one Jason. I've heard many times about sports stars who had really forceful parents behind them. In fact I watched the trailer for 'I Tonya' this week and was scared rigid by her mother, just from the trailer!!
I am a huge Agassi fan, I've seen him play live at the US Open - I go almost every year since it's a 20 minute train ride from where I live. He had a difficult life growing up with a very difficult father. I truly believe it was Steffi Graff who helped turn his life around. And today they are some of the biggest philanthropists, trying to bring tennis to those who would not have a chance to play, as well as having a great tennis academy for those who may not have another option to achieve tennis success.I do plan to read this book sometime this year.
Great review
For those of you that don't know, Andre Agassi is one of the best tennis players to play the game. His career spanned from 86' to 06'. He had a great rivalry with Pete Sampras. He was considered a rebel in the sport with his unorthodox attire and attitude and is credited with reviving tennis popularity. He is 8th in all time wins, he won all 4 grand slams atleast once, and has an Olympic gold medal. He married Brook Shields and then married one of the greatest womens tennis players to ever play the game, Stephani Gras. He also runs his own charter school.
Now to the book. Andre Agassi hates tennis. He reiterates this all through the book, though to me, he didn't hate the game of tennis, he hated the pressure and competition of tennis. But he claims to hate tennis with a passion. He grew up with a dominating arguably abusive father whos only goal was to make his children tennis players. Not only tennis players, but ranked #1 professional tennis players. Andre was the only that made it.
Andre had severe motivation and insecurity issues both professionally and throughout his life. He dropped out of high school in 9th grade. He wore blue jean shorts in a tennis match, cut his hair into a mohawk and died it pink, and pierced his ears as an act of rebellion. His career and personal life show his inner struggles as Agassi was never consistent, especially early in his career despite his amazing talent. And Pete Sampras seemed to always be there to beat him. 2/3 of the book is an emotional struggle with himself.
Then, things start to turn around. Agassi makes a comeback after leaving professional tennis for a short while and while always considered one of the greats, he cements that reputation and finds a measure of peace in his personal life, still claiming to hate tennis.
I liked this book for several reasons. The writing was wonderful. Though the book is Agassi's and it is an autobiography, he had a Pulitzer prize winner help with the writing so the book flows wonderfully. Not like most sports autobiographies. Agassi is not who I thought he was. He is not who anyone really thought he was. My older sister had a crush on, later in career bald Andre Agassi, so I felt connected to the story as well, remembering my sister watching Andre vs Pete finals matches. I learned a bit about tennis which increased my appreciation for tennis and tennis players. And lastly, it has reaffirmed my strongly held view that athletes are people with their own problems and lives. The media view and treatment and the fans view and treatment of athletes matter. Honestly, athletes seem to be a more fragile breed overall than your average person. (from reading mainly about baseball, cycling, and now tennis players)
I took points away because you really can get caught up on Agassi's depression and insecurities as most of the book, most of his life was unhappy and unfulfilled and without direction. I was so happy when the book started to have a brighter outlook as I was becoming depressed. haha.