I completely loved this book! If you like tennis the opening section detailing a 2006 epic match between Agassi and Marcos Baghdatis at US Open is worth reading even if you don't go any further into the book.

I'm about the same age as Agassi and I remember all the phases of his career and how much I disliked him as a wacky haired teenager and then how much I liked him by the time he retired. I really enjoyed seeing his side of things and learning how and why he looked and acted like he did thoroughout his life.

I think it gives an interesting view into the "glamorous" life of a successful professional athelete. From the outside, traveling the world and playing tennis for a living sounds pretty fun an exciting but to get to that point, it's difficult and unpleasant and incredibly pressure packed and once you're at the top --- you're constantly traveling, practicing and feeling the stress. It's really not so great.

I think he does a nice job of revealing his insecurities and explaining (as much as he can) why he couldn't stay focused. He seems to be truthful about things and while he says things about other people (his father, Brooke Shields, and some of his opponents) that aren't nice -- they aren't nasty either. They seem real. Perhaps colored by his own world view but still real.

Really very enjoyable especially if you like tennis and know all the people he's talking about.

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The writing of J.R. Moehringer is ok, but this book unfortunately ends up by being just boring. The first chapter is really compelling - and so are some insights on the tennis psychology (for instance the referral to Brad Gilbert's "Winning ugly" strategy), but the rest of the book, especially Agassi's personal life and love relationships are taking too much space. For nice review by Geoff Dyer: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/nov/08/open-autobiography-andre-agassi ( )

I was a big Andre Agassi fan throughout his career. Seeing the rise and fall of his career, this book brings into sharp focus the inner demons and conflict that peppered his life. He writes of feelings of loneliness and estrangement in such a clear way that the reader can't help but travel that journey and feel his desperation and indecision. Andre runs the gamut of emotions without understanding the root cause until he is well into adulthood. What a horrible way to navigate life. I appreciate his willingness to articulate the events in such a way that anyone can relate or sympathize with his choices while cheering him on for going though the trials and tribulations to become a better person, husband and father. He demonstrates what digging deep inside you to carve out who you are meant to be is possible no matter where you come from. ( )

Qué vida! ( )

A decent read ... but I felt this was a bit too long. Way too much of tennis details for my liking (maybe it's because where I live I don’t have access to tennis courts that come cheap and are pretty expensive?) I also listened to the audiobook version rather than read the book so I felt there was a bit of monotony in the reader's voice. Better tonality and modulation would have definitely helped cement my concentration - there were times when I were quite a few times I kept wondering how much longer was in the book

Off course there was quite a lot that I really loved in the book. No spoilers here… just basic stuff that you’d probably already know if you’ve followed his career.
1. Hated tennis growing up - I liked this because a lot of children can relate to this while growing up. Bad ass father who wanted him to succeed. But what worked for Andre was that he had some hidden talent, neither his brother nor sisters had this "spark". He talks about this in his book, and rather unashamedly when he insults his brother and calls him a “loser” (that’s what his father would call him)

2. Andre was a bad ass and a rebel … and hilariously so– We all knew this, but the way it has been written about in the book is fantastic! I especially remember the incident about the panda being “ass up” in the chair for Nick and how he tried to woo Wendii and Steffi (especially while sliding around the floor in socks), when he walked out of the mall with a mohawk and an earring! Not to mention the times when he called the linesman a coc******* and had to borrow a Nike tennis shoe (that’s right just one shoe) from a fan in the audience. One aspect that I really liked (something personally lacking in me) is that Andre’s default mode in the fight vs flight was to “fight”. He would argue, push back against the system, rebel or do whatever... but I think that contributed a lot to his overall development. And he says this best in his book, “My brother didn’t have this – he would quietly accept, but I would rebel”

3. The writing style in the book –The author J.R. Moehringer has something to do with this and I was really impressed. He uses a lot of very visual words so that read (or listener in my case) can actually visualize what is happening… from Andre in ‘hot lava pants’ to the ‘multiple fireplaces’ to him skating around the floor when first asking Steffi out and the description of the panda in the chair or his matches with rallies and volleys and dropshots. J.R. Moehringer is really able to make you “feel” as if you are part of the story…...
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