I'm sure I am not alone as an adult skater and loving to read about our sport. I got Katarina's new book "Only with Passion" and actually was quite impressed. It was an easy read. But I liked it for several things - her human touch in how to talk/listen to a teenager (fictionalized composite) and sharing of her own thoughts during her competitive years, now as a mature adult, and it gave me a much better understanding of the country she grew up in. I would not recommend it to a skater under 16 yrs., nor for skating fans. I think you need to be a skater to understand her thoughts, and that's why I decided to post it here.

I can remember disliking her intensely when she first arrived on the international scene - I was scandalized. Now I have a better understanding about skating, competitions, and foreign countries. As the years went by I found myself liking her more and more for her genuine humanity. Ironically, her thoughts on being of her age, unmarried, and childless rang so true for me and I felt a certain comradery.

So, I just thought I would pass this along to those of you looking for an interesting read......There are some who will nitpick and complain about some errors or her opinions, but that is bound to happen. I liked the book.

Thanks for the mini-review, skateflo. I saw this in my local bookstore a few days ago and debated buying it, but didn't (I was feeling frugal, momentarily!). But I think I'll pick it up on my next visit, thanks to your recommendation.

Ellen (who never met a skating book she didn't like at least somewhat)