With a title like "The Secret Olympian" and an author of "Anonymous," I think it's reasonable to assume that the text inside such a book is going to be juicy and revealing. Unfortunately, this book is not juicy, nor is it revealing. It's just another book about the Olympics, with a lot of quotes and interviews from many Olympians (both those who have and haven't won medals). Honestly, I'm not even sure why this book had to be published anonymously. The author leaves hir sport after competing in Athens (and leaving without a medal). For a more interesting expose on sports and the Olympics, read some Dave Zirin.

I probably would have given this book 3 or 4 stars because I didn't hate it, and it was at least mildly entertaining (enough that I finished it and didn't skim). However, it was disgustingly transphobic and ableist at many points in the book. When strong adjectives need to be used, defaulting to "crazy" and "insane" just perpetuates the stigma that people with mental illness face every day. The use of ableist language demonstrates to me that the author is lazy and unable to accurately depict the things zie is trying to describe. In addition, the transphobic bullshit that was vomited all over chapter 4 made me want to hurl the book into a bonfire. To me, these things just painted "Anonymous" as an over-privileged and somewhat ignorant author. ( )

I read this book just after the Olympics finished and found it to be quite a fascinating insight. It’s not everything you would hope for when the author is Anonymous. However, its certainly improved my knowledge of the obstacles faced by elite athletes, along with the disappointments of not winning and the impact of arriving home to either retire or work for another four years.

At $19.99 it is certainly an easy choice for the sport’s nut or would make a great gift for your lovable sport’s fan.

Visit http://anadventureinreading.blogspot.com.au/ for more reviews & author interviews. ( )

During the Olympics I heard this book mentioned, so I figured I would give it a try. It describes the Olympics seen through the eyes of an Olympic athlete, from the point where they get told they are competing, to the point where they are done competing and don't know what to do with the rest of their lives. It's based on the personal experiences of the author, as well as on interviews with other Olympians. The story is told well, and general Olympic history and trivia is interjected at appropriate places. There's a good combination of interesting technical details relating to athletes and Olympic behind-the-scenes stuff, as well as plenty of personal emotions and anecdotes. The sum total becomes a read which is at times really interesting, at times rather emotional, and overall rather enjoyable. The main problem with the book is that it seems to have been marketed as a tell-all tabloid tale of sex and scandals. That's not what it is, and thank God for that. ( )

Quite interesting. Apparently a lot of Olympians hated school sports. ( )