Dominique Dawes was born in Maryland in 1976. She began gymnastics training at age six, winning her first competition by age nine. She was performing around the world by the time she entered double digit ages, which I find staggering. She made it to the United States Olympic Team in 1992, even though she was suffering from Osgood-Schlatter disease and ankle inflammation. The team won Bronze in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Dominique and her teammate Betty Okino were the first two African American females to win a gymnastics medal at the Olympics. She continued competitions after that, making her mark and continuing to be a crowd favorite. She did suffer from several joint injuries She returned to the Olympic stage in 1996, held in Atlanta, as part of the Magnificent Seven. All of her scores counted for the team final, helping to earn the team a Gold Medal. After her career in gymnastics ended, she married, had kids, and did a lot of work as a spokesperson, commentator, and heading up foundations.

I had a huge poster of Dominique Dawes when I was a child that I bought at the Scholastic Book Fair. I am almost certain it was from the 1992 Olympics. I found this book used and picked it up simply because I was a childhood fan of hers. It was interesting to see the highlights of her career, which I did not realize was so massive. I enjoyed watching her on tv, but I really appreciate what I was able to watch knowing that she was suffering through injuries all the while. It was a very inspirational book, and I wish I would have had it to read as a kid.