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KURT: FORCING THE EDGE
Kurt Browning with Neil Stevens
Reviewed by Charles Ottosen.
Volume 20 Number 2
Kurt Browning won the men’s world figure skating competition three times and Kurt: Forcing the Edge is his story. Born and raised in rural Alberta (near Caroline), Kurt is a true Canadian success story. Growing up on his parents' farm, Kurt showed early a talent for figure skating. He rose quickly through the figure skating ranks and at the age of twenty-two became the world champion. This book is his attempt to provide some information on his life for the public. While the book docs cover his entire life there are two problems: (with all due respect) there is so little to tell and Kurt is not the one to tell it. Organized chronologically, the book follows Kurt from his early days until the winning of his third world championship in Munich, Germany. Along the way he describes his life by telling us about his family, his friends, follow competitors and the contests he has contested. Written in a simple and straightforward fashion, this is a brief covering of Kurt's (brief) life. There is no depth here, although Kurt makes the occasional attempt to flesh out a character or incident. We do learn a few interesting tidbits of information about Kurt in the book - for example, Scott Hamilton, the former world and Olympic champion, has dubbed him "Skate God for life" because of his tremendous abilities and accomplishments. But Kurt is cither too shy, inexperienced or trying to cover up a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff to give us a true picture of himself and his accomplishments. This is not to downgrade the book. Most autobiographies about current (and young) stars have this same characteristic (see Gretzky by Wayne Gretzky). They are as much a marketing tool as information. Still, the book is a fun and easy read. There are lots of good pictures. It will appeal to all of Kurt's fans as well as figure skating fans in general. Recommended for all high school and public libraries. Charles Ottosen, Airdrie Public Library, Airdrie, Alta. |
1971-1979 | 1980-1985 | 1986-1990 | 1991-1995
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