Steffi: Public Power, Personal Pain

Being the craziest fan of Steffi, I was really thrilled to get a book on her. Reading it was a pleasure and brought back a lot of memories where I cried when she lost and I jumped with joy when she won. As far as her tennis carrier is concerned I can remember every bit of her victories and this book is perfect with dates and details. It hurts to know her private life is not as fanciful and bright as the great ladies 22 grand slams are. I wish somehow I could reach out to her and make her happy. The book is well written and not biased on any angle. Her anger and dissentment towards the press could only be best understood by people who have been tortured by the media. Her anger is justified cos after all she is human and needs her breathing space away from the lights of the cameras. All I have to say is Steffi is a great inspiration not only in terms of her Tennis but also as a good daughter, good sport and a good human being. Hats of to my "Shining Star"

From a fan's point of view, the world of super sports stars seems to be full of glamour and glitz and one forgets that their is a humanness hidden beneath all the fables. This book was certainly unbiased on all counts. In fact, I felt rather sad because of the seemingly lost childhood and adolescence Steffi missed. The book made me feel that this was Steffi's destiny from the moment she could lift her father's tennis racket. Peter Graf latched onto a prodigy to carry on his unfulfilled dreams and ambitions. However, his extremeness in handling Steffi's career and lack of sensitivity in letting her just be a child certainly left its mark even today at 30 years old. Yes, he did in fact give her a career but somehow the 'everything in moderation' translation got loss in the shuffle. I thank God that Steffi is finally emerging from her cocoon, really enjoying her craft by learning to share it with others and reaching out to attain the happiness and contentment that has been so elusive throughout her life. This book makes you want to put your arm around her and tell her that all is well in the world and no matter what she does beyond the world of tennis is really okay as long as she is happy doing it. Lift your head high and go for it all, Steffi! You certainly have earned it!

Being the craziest fan of Steffi, I was really thrilled to get a book on her. Reading it was a pleasure and brought back a lot of memories where I cried when she lost and I jumped with joy when she won. As far as her tennis carrier is concerned I can remember every bit of her victories and this book is perfect with dates and details. It hurts to know her private life is not as fanciful and bright as the great ladies 22 grand slams are. I wish somehow I could reach out to her and make her happy. The book is well written and not biased on any angle. Her anger and dissentment towards the press could only be best understood by people who have been tortured by the media. Her anger is justified cos after all she is human and needs her breathing space away from the lights of the cameras. All I have to say is Steffi is a great inspiration not only in terms of her Tennis but also as a good daughter, good sport and a good human being. Hats of to my "Shining Star"

I purchased this book in 1996 and I was amazed at how good it really is. Okay so I amm Graf's biggest fan but there is only so much you can put up with. The detail of the book was perfect, it made me want to read it over and over. It was an accurate account of Steffi's life and will always be my favorite book. The best thing about the book was it showed her in a private way. The tennis information was excellent, but it was not too in-depth. The quality of the photographs and the wording of the book deserved an award. It is honestly one of the best books that has ever been published.

I purchased this book while I was on Holidays in Jersey. I had been looking for a book about my favourite player for some time so I was thrilled when I spotted it in a shop. I started out reading it expecting it to be a very biased and favourable account of Steffi's career. I was therefore shocked with what I got but not altogether dissappionted. This book is unbiased and gives very detailed informationon all aspects of Steffi's life. Her wins are accurately portrayed and almost every win is mentioned. Also on the subject of her personal life I received a shock about what appears to be Steffi's indifference to everyone but herself,but, this opinion is balanced when the author lists how Steffi has in the past gone out of her way to help people. The author also goes out of her way to show that Steffi's seeming indifference is a result of her hard life. So all in all this is one of the most detailed and best biographies of anyone that I have ever read. The fact that the author is unbiased stops the book from falling into the trap which many biographies fall in to, that of showing the subject of the book in a rose coloured light.