One Jump at a Time

October 17, 2022
The world of figure skating dazzles in this restrained debut from Olympic gold medalist Chen. Raised in Salt Lake City in the late 1990s as the youngest son of Chinese immigrants, Chen developed a love of skating early, and, to help nurture his talent, his mother moved to California with 12-year-old Chen so that he could train with a prestigious coach. A few years after he started skating, Chen began winning trophies at local events, and at 10 years old he won his first novice championship in 2010. But the path to becoming a world-class athlete had its difficulties. He suffered the occasional injury—he had a hip avulsion fracture after the 2017 World Championships and needed surgery—but Chen’s determination matched his advancing skills: “Things were getting harder, but everything I had already put into skating would be wasted if I quit.” In 2022, he won gold at the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Chen’s fierce appreciation of his mother shines (“Without her, I wouldn’t have been disciplined enough to push myself when every part of me wanted to stop”), but he doesn’t examine his life off the ice, which keeps Chen at a distance from readers. Still, skating fans will relish Chen’s behind-the-scenes knowledge. Agent: Sheryl Shade, Shade Global.

October 15, 2022
Chen chronicles what it took to become the first Asian American male figure skater to win a gold medal at the Olympics. The youngest child (of five) raised by Chinese immigrants in Salt Lake City, Chen "took [his] first steps on the ice" when he was just 3. Noticing how much he loved it, his mother took him to free skating time at a local rink and enrolled him in figure skating classes. Before long, Chen was skating competitively and thriving. In 2010, he overcame a knee injury to win the novice national championship. He eventually attracted the attention of Armenian coach Rafael Arutunian, who helped Chen build the skills he needed to execute the complicated quadruple jumps that led to his nickname, the Quad King. In the years that followed, Chen's career was a roller coaster of mental and physical challenges, ranging from a hip injury that set his training back before major competitions to intense anxiety about competing during the pandemic and the strain his mother's coaching put on their relationship. Ultimately, Chen was able to win an Olympic gold medal in 2022 not only because of his training, but because of the steps he took to attend to his mental health, including sessions with a sports psychologist, developing hobbies outside of skating, and going to college at Yale. The book is strongest in Chen's moments of vulnerability, when he speaks frankly about his love of his family and appreciation for the sacrifices they made for his career, his complex relationship with his mother, and his struggles with mental health. However, the prose is adequate but unexceptional, and much of the text focuses on the technical aspects of skating, making it read more like a list of practice techniques than a cohesive story. An overly detailed yet inspiring story of dedication and perseverance.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from November 1, 2022
Chen, a two-time Olympian and first-generation Chinese American, grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, host of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, so it's only natural that he would gravitate to a winter sport. This forthright memoir chronicles his remarkable rise to figure-skating stardom with a r�sum� that includes six U.S. National Championship titles, three World Championship titles, and a gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games in men's singles. Also significant is his documenting of the challenges of training and competing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Known as the "Quad King"--he is the first man in figure-skating history to land five quadruple jumps in a single performance--Chen not only pays homage to his various coaches, but also honors his close-knit family, especially his devoted mother, for their roles in his skating career. In addition to recounting his triumphs on the ice, he also discusses his setbacks, including injuries and the crushing disappointment of the 2018 Winter Olympics, when a disastrous short program took him out of the medal race. An inspirational account of an athlete's determined rise to greatness.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.