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Little Girls in Pretty Boxes Paperback – Illustrated, July 17, 2018

by Joan Ryan (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 428 ratings
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Welcome to the world of women's gymnastics and figure skating--the real world that happens away from the cameras, at the training camps and in the private lives of these talented teenage competitors. From starvation diets and debilitating injuries to the brutal tactics of tyrannical gymnastics guru Béla Károlyi, Little Girls in Pretty Boxes portrays the horrors endured by girls at the hands of their coaches and sometimes their own families--and is now updated with a new introduction and foreword that address the sexual abuse scandal perpetrated by USA Gymnastics national team doctor, Larry Nassar. This groundbreaking book shows how a longstanding culture of abuse made young gymnasts perfect targets for a sexual predator, and continues to plead for sanity, safety, and an end to our national obsession: winning at any cost.
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  1. Print length
    325 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    July 17, 2018
  4. Dimensions
    5.25 x 0.82 x 8 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1538747782
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1538747780
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Editorial Reviews

Review

One of Sports Illustrated's "Top 100 Sports Books of All Time"

One of Guardian (UK)'s "Top 50 Sports Books of All Time"

"Scathing...profoundly important."―San Francisco Chronicle

"Stunning and frightening."―John Feinstein, New York Times bestselling author of A Good Walk Spoiled and TheFirst Major

"Confirms your worst suspicions about 15-year-old gymnasts in 10-year-old bodies and the terrible price they pay, regardless of success."―Phil Mushnick, New York Post

"This book will open the eyes of every girl and parent with dreams of the Olympics, and it will change forever the way America looks at two of its most beloved sports."―Billie Jean King

About the Author

Joan Ryan is an award-winning journalist and the author of four books. Her groundbreaking book Little Girls in Pretty Boxes was named one of the Top 100 Sports Books of All Time by Sports Illustrated and one of the Top 50 Sports Books of All Time by the Guardian. Throughout her career, Ryan has been awarded thirteen Associated Press Sports Editors awards, the National Headliner Award, the Women's Sports Foundation's Journalism Award and the Fabulous Feminist Award from the San Francisco chapter of NOW. She is a founding trustee of Coaching Corps in Oakland, CA, and the Association of Women in Sports Media. Since 2008, she has been a media consultant with the San Francisco Giants.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grand Central Publishing; Reprint edition (July 17, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 325 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1538747782
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1538747780
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.82 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 428 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Joan Ryan

    Joan Ryan

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Joan Ryan is an award-winning journalist and author of five books. She was born in the Bronx, grew up in New Jersey, went to high school and college in Florida and ended up in her favorite city, San Francisco. She was a pioneer in sports journalism, becoming one of the first female sports columnists in the country.

    Her newest book, "Intangibles: Unlocking the Science and Soul of Team Chemistry'' (Little, Brown, 2020), is also her most ambitious. She takes readers on a question to understand the seemingly indefinable phenomenon called team chemistry.

    Joan was a pioneer in sports journalism as one of the first female sports columnists in the country. She covered every major sporting event from the Super Bowl and the World Series to the Olympics and championship fights. Her sports columns and features earned 13 Associated Press Sports Editors Awards, the National Headliner Award, the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Journalism Award, and the prestigious Edgar A. Poe Award from the White House Correspondents Association for her four-part series about wounded soldiers, "War Without End.’'

    Her first book, “Little Girls in Pretty Boxes: The Making and Breaking of Elite Gymnasts and Figure Skaters’’ (1995, Doubleday) was a ground-breaking expose named one of the “Top 100 Sports Books of All Time’’ by Sports Illustrated and one of the “Top 50 Sports Books of All Time’’ by the Guardian. The book and Joan were featured on Oprah, 60 Minutes, Nightline, the Today Show, People magazine, the New Yorker, the New York Times, Time magazine and other media around the country.

    Her 2015 book, Molina: The Story of a Father Who Raised an Unlikely Baseball Dynasty (Simon & Schuster), was a finalist for the 2015 PEN Literary Award.

    Joan has been the media consultant for the San Francisco Giants for the past thirteen years (and has three World Series rings to show for it!).

    She lives in Sausalito, north of San Francisco, with her husband, Showtime sportscaster Barry Tompkins. They have one son, Ryan, who was the subject of Joan's third book, "The Water Giver.''

    See more on the author's page
  2. Joan Ryan

    Joan Ryan

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    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
428 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book well-written and fascinating, with one review noting it provides valuable insights into the world of elite gymnastics. They appreciate its readability, with one customer describing it as a must-read. The book offers a surprising look into the darker side of competitive gymnastics.

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15 customers mention "Insight"15 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful, with one review describing it as a shocking look into elite gymnastics, while another notes it provides valuable information for skaters of all levels.

"...This edition includes an update on the state of gymnastics up to 2000...." Read more

"...I think gymnastics has a lot of wonderful qualities, such as instilling discipline, coordination, muscle memory, fitness and time management...." Read more

"Unfortunately not all the facts are accurate. Easy to read, good testimonies I still enjoyed it...." Read more

"...immediately pushed through the chapters and was immersed in the informative writing of the author...." Read more

6 customers mention "Readability"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable, with one describing it as a touching and compelling read.

"A good read and easy to comprehend about a sport enjoyed by many spectators...." Read more

"...Honest, well written and compelling, this is a must read." Read more

"...However how wrong it keeps happening. A good read and dispells the beauty of both sports" Read more

"...This may or may not be as true as she presents, but her book makes good reading. I raced through it with a tabliod curiosity. Good photos too...." Read more

6 customers mention "Writing quality"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well written and easy to read.

"...Beyond that, I found this to be well written and fascinating, but sad...." Read more

"Unfortunately not all the facts are accurate. Easy to read, good testimonies I still enjoyed it...." Read more

"Very well researched and written. This book pulls back the curtain and shows the dark side of the sports of gymnastics and figure skating...." Read more

"...Honest, well written and compelling, this is a must read." Read more

3 customers mention "Interest"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book fascinating.

"...Beyond that, I found this to be well written and fascinating, but sad...." Read more

"...Where was the editor? It was somewhat interesting, but not particularly surprising...." Read more

"A shocking and touching read......" Read more

3 customers mention "Slant"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's slant, with one review noting how it provides a surprising look into the darker side of competitive gymnastics.

"A surprising look into the darker side of competitive gymnastics and ice skating...." Read more

"...A good read and dispells the beauty of both sports" Read more

"Such a great book that shows the other side of these sports ......" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • M. Jay Babb
    5.0 out of 5 stars The truth always hurts
    Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2003
    Verified Purchase
    As a gymnastics fan, there's always been two sides of me: On the one hand I enjoy watching little girls flip over, and fly in the air-things that you and I would never think of trying our selves. On the other hand-I've been concerned over the years about what these girls go through to make it to the elite or olylimpic levels. In 1994 when Christy Henrich died as a result of eating disorders. That's when I begin asking some serious questions about the sport.
    One thing that needs to be made VERY clear: Ryan was NOT dealing with what is called recrational gymnastics, Doing gymnastics for fun and fitness. It can be a rewarding sport for chidren. What Ryan DOES deal with is the elite or olylimpic levels of the sport.
    It documents the disturbing training methods of Bela Karloli. I've been concerned about this for a long time-but now the truth is told-and the truth hurts. It also documents the belittling coments that coaches often say to the gymnasts about weight. This often triggers an eating disorder. This is sickening. Coaches like Karloi would just like to blame parents for these problems. While parents do play a role, it's the coaches coments made to gymnasts that triggers it. So coaches needs to held reponsible for it.
    Ryan tells it like it is-she pulls no punches. This is not an anti-gymnastics book. It's instead a disturbing document of the training methods of coaches and forcing them to compete with injuries.
    Then there's the disgusting story of the second Trial that was held to determine the 1992 olympic team that resulted in Kim kelly being voted off the team. Kim Kelly did not have the Ideal body type of a gymnast-and USA Gymnastics(Then called United states gymnastics federation)were concerned that she would not get high enough scores because she was not the little girl like the others were. This is WRONG and lets hope that it doe not happen again.
    This edition includes an update on the state of gymnastics up to 2000. While progress has been made in making the sport safer, Ryan notes that there's a long way to go.
    17 people found this helpful
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  • Mrs. C
    4.0 out of 5 stars Outdated but fascinating
    Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I want to start off by saying that I was a bit disappointed that the "published date" on the Kindle version of this book was misleading. It lists the date as 2013, which would have already made this book somewhat old, but I didn't mind that. But as I was reading, I was getting very confused by the timeline and after some digging I discovered that the book was originally published in 1996, making it nearly 30 years old and quite dated. After watching this year's Olympics gymnastics, the good news is that it is obvious that the hard lessons learned back in the 70s - 90s have paid off in changes to the current gymnastic system, in that girls no longer look like emaciated babydolls. Beyond that, I found this to be well written and fascinating, but sad. So many young women had their lives ruined by the abusive system that dominated female gymnastics (and skating to a lesser degree) back in the heyday of the sport. The book was a bit repetitive in places, and sometimes in the midst of the most interesting storylines, the author would take a detour and you had to read through several sub-chapters to get back to the original topic. All in all, this kept me reading until well past my bedtime, and I would recommend it to anyone who is fascinated by the sport and its history, as ugly as it is in certain ways. I think the author should write a follow-up book detailing how these sports have evolved in the ensuing 30 years and how things have improved for the girls both physically and psychologically.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Katherine Gilraine
    5.0 out of 5 stars If you EVER were a fan of gymnastics or figure skating, please read this book.
    Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I was born in an Eastern-bloc country and moved to the US as a child. Part of the upbringing in the old country was a deep love of gymnastics and figure skating, because this was our form of "national pride".

    Then I moved to the US and Bela Karolyi took his Magnificent Seven to the gold. I was 11 when I saw Kerri Strug do that second vault - a vault that, as I found out very recently, was *not required*; the US team had the points to get the gold already. Strug retired after that vault; the injuries (this one included) were too much.

    My opinion of Bela Karolyi was not that great before I read this book, and did not improve one bit after I read it.

    This book is absolutely required reading. What the coaches put the gymnasts through is... abusive is too nice a term. To call that pressure-cooker of hell abusive is giving it an undue compliment. It is a brutalizing process to make a teenager into an elite athlete, and all of these Olympic dreams come at an enormous cost.

    Remember the names: Julissa Gomez, Christy Heinrich, Elena Mukhina.
    In this book, you'll find out why these names should be mentioned over and over again to ANY girl who has dreams of Olympic gold as she practices her dismounts.

    Heck, this entire book should be given as a required reading to any girl who is getting very seriously involved in any sport that would, at an elite level, rob her of her childhood and her health.

    All of us who grew up on these sports, should take a look at ourselves and ask how we have allowed these sport to become a children's sport for our own kicks.
    15 people found this helpful
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  • Cait O'Ceallaigh
    5.0 out of 5 stars a must-read
    Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I’ve been wanting to read this for thirty years. Any coach or parent of a young athlete should read this. I’d like to think we understand a whole lot more about mental and physical health and what purpose competitive sports can play in a person’s development, but this book serves as a cautionary tale.
    One person found this helpful
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  • BottinesOrange
    3.0 out of 5 stars Some interesting tales, but repetitive
    Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    As others have said, the same stories get repeated over and over. Where was the editor?

    It was somewhat interesting, but not particularly surprising. The big difference between gymnastics/figure skating and other high-pressure sports is the young age of the elites, so it's harder for them to question the authority figures or defend themselves.

    The most recent crop of gymnasts really do look healthier, so hopefully books like this have helped turn the tide.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • A H.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Be afraid
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 14, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Written many years ago but still an eye opening discussion of the abuse of young girls in the,pursuit of gold medals
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  • Steven B
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great gift
    Reviewed in Canada on January 19, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    My wife has gotten into watching gymnastics lately, and this made a great gift.
    Report
  • Sofie
    5.0 out of 5 stars Boeiend boek
    Reviewed in Germany on November 2, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Erg boeiend boek, in middendeel op kwalitatief papier foto’s van de besproken dames. Leuk dit via Amazon ook in Europa vlot te kunnen bestellen, vele jaren na publicatie.
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  • Wendy C. Winslow
    5.0 out of 5 stars A sad but true story.
    Reviewed in Canada on February 25, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This is about young gymnasts and their abusive coach.
    Report
  • jha van rossum
    4.0 out of 5 stars Nicely written. It still is valuable today in terms ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 10, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Intriguing stories. Nicely written. It still is valuable today in terms of parental behavior or how to recognize an authoritative sports coach.
    Report