Heart of a Champion.

Michelle Kwan is the clear winner in this book division. Although written for young adults, Heart of a Champion (Scholastic $14.95) will appeal to everyone who wants to learn more about the inside world of figure skating, as well as what makes Kwan skate with such exquisite abandon. In a levelheaded and natural voice, Kwan relates the ups and downs of her career (thus for), including her spectacular and unexpected victory at the 1996 World Championships, her battles with her changing body and faltering confidence that led to disappointing performances in 1997, and the philosophical outlook on life that led her back to fight for her former titles. Kwan gives an honest appraisal of her own and her family's sacrifices for her career, as well as a mature evaluation of what it's like to live in an often insular world.

Kwan also gives a thoughtful account of her reaction to the news of world-renowned coach Carlo Fassi's death from a heart crack and Scoff Hamilton's bout with cancer, and the perspective these events gave her on her own career. At the 1997 Worlds she had finished a disappointing fourth in the short program when she heard about Fassi. "I was in the locker room changing into my street shoes. I was thinking about Carlo and his family I was thinking about Scott. I was thinking so hard I yanked on my shoelaces and one of them snapped. My hand flew back and smacked me in the face, Suddenly I started laughing. What had I been thinking? Skating wasn't a matter of life and death." Kwan later performed her long program beautifully, winning the event, though her short program scores brought her final placement down to second overall. Kwan was nonplussed. "Yes, skating was just a sport, but it's a great sport.... Tara had won, and I had come in second overall. But that was fine. My wings were back." This kind of graceful self-examination makes Kwan's writing shine.

Since the publication of Heart of a Champion, Kwan has won decisively at the 1998 U.S. National Figure Skating Championships (with the highest ladies' short program marks in history) and has taken the silver medal at the Olympic Games in Nagano. Her Olympic long program was more reserved than usual, but Kwan turned in a solid performance. Although she lost the gold medal to Lipinski by a narrow margin, her poise on the podium during the medals ceremony and her gracious and dignified presence during the subsequent media blitz aren't surprising after reading her book. Since Kwan has said she may try her luck at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, perhaps a sequel to Heart of a Champion will be in order.