One Jump at a Time
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-12-31 08:51:46
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Nathan Chen
- ISBN：0063280523
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Summary
In this exhilarating memoir， three-time World Champion and Olympic gold-medalist Nathan Chen tells the story of his remarkable journey to success， reflecting on his life as a Chinese American figure skater and the joys and challenges he has experienced--including the tremendous sacrifices he and his family made， and the physical and emotional pain he endured。
When three-year-old Nathan Chen tried on his first pair of figure skates， magic happened。 But the odds of this young boy--one of five children born to Chinese immigrants--competing and making it into the top echelons of figure skating were daunting。 Chen's family didn't have the resources or access to pay for expensive coaches， rink time， and equipment。 But Nathan's mother， Hetty Wang， refused to fail her child。 Recognizing his tremendous talent and passion， she stepped up as his coach， making enormous sacrifices to give Nathan the opportunity to compete in this exclusive world。
That dedication eventually paid off at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing， where Chen--reverently known as the "Quad King"--won gold， becoming the first Asian-American man to stand at the highest podium in figure skating。 In this moving and inspiring memoir Chen opens up for the first time， chronicling everything it took to pursue his dreams。 Bolstered by his unwavering passion and his family's unconditional support， Chen reveals the most difficult times he endured， and how he overcame each obstacle-from his disappointment at the 2018 Olympic Games， to competing during a global pandemic， to the extreme physical and mental toll the sport demands。
Pulling back the curtain on the figure skating world and the Olympics， Chen reveals what it was really like at the Beijing Games and competing on the US team in the same city his parents had left--and his grandmother still lived。 Poignant and unfiltered， told in his own words， One Jump at a Time is the story of one extraordinary young man--and a testament to the love of a family and the power of persistence， grit， and passion。
This memoir includes 16 pages of color photographs。
When three-year-old Nathan Chen tried on his first pair of figure skates， magic happened。 But the odds of this young boy--one of five children born to Chinese immigrants--competing and making it into the top echelons of figure skating were daunting。 Chen's family didn't have the resources or access to pay for expensive coaches， rink time， and equipment。 But Nathan's mother， Hetty Wang， refused to fail her child。 Recognizing his tremendous talent and passion， she stepped up as his coach， making enormous sacrifices to give Nathan the opportunity to compete in this exclusive world。
That dedication eventually paid off at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing， where Chen--reverently known as the "Quad King"--won gold， becoming the first Asian-American man to stand at the highest podium in figure skating。 In this moving and inspiring memoir Chen opens up for the first time， chronicling everything it took to pursue his dreams。 Bolstered by his unwavering passion and his family's unconditional support， Chen reveals the most difficult times he endured， and how he overcame each obstacle-from his disappointment at the 2018 Olympic Games， to competing during a global pandemic， to the extreme physical and mental toll the sport demands。
Pulling back the curtain on the figure skating world and the Olympics， Chen reveals what it was really like at the Beijing Games and competing on the US team in the same city his parents had left--and his grandmother still lived。 Poignant and unfiltered， told in his own words， One Jump at a Time is the story of one extraordinary young man--and a testament to the love of a family and the power of persistence， grit， and passion。
This memoir includes 16 pages of color photographs。
Reviews
Karen
，
I thoroughly enjoyed this book！ Insightful for anyone who has been involved in the figure skating industry as a coach， choreographer， boot/blade technician， competitive skater， or just skate fan！ As I read， I pulled up various skates he talked through on YouTube- that was fun！ In fact， I found myself rewatching top three skates of both short and long programs of each event he reviewed。This memoir follows Nathan from his first time in skates through his career as an elite Olympic gold medalist。 Y I thoroughly enjoyed this book！ Insightful for anyone who has been involved in the figure skating industry as a coach， choreographer， boot/blade technician， competitive skater， or just skate fan！ As I read， I pulled up various skates he talked through on YouTube- that was fun！ In fact， I found myself rewatching top three skates of both short and long programs of each event he reviewed。This memoir follows Nathan from his first time in skates through his career as an elite Olympic gold medalist。 You learn bits and pieces of what techniques he feels have helped him the most in being able to find consistency in his technical skating。 （Both physical and mental aspects， on and off ice。） It’s fun to read his thoughts in working with various coaches， choreographers。 I love how appreciative he is of his village！ From the early days through now。 I also appreciate that this is a positive memoir。 There is no drama noted between coaches， skaters。 It demonstrates how it really does take a village to support an elite athlete reaching for their dreams。 Definitely a fun read for those fans of figure skating！ 。。。more
Hellerzilla
，
I live and breathe for Nathan Chen 😂
X
，
Hardworking good kid who materialized all his successes thanks to his mom， his coaches and his drive。 Incredibly modest and kind。
Claudia
，
I am a former ice skater and skating instructor。 I have followed skating for decades。 I try to read all of the skating （auto）biographies that are available。 Nathan Chen has made great contributions to this sport， and I was interested in his story。 I am particularly fascinated by how a person gets involved in sport and how s/he excels。 Nathan explained all of that in this book。 He did not disclose much of his personal life， other than interactions with family members that were mostly related to s I am a former ice skater and skating instructor。 I have followed skating for decades。 I try to read all of the skating （auto）biographies that are available。 Nathan Chen has made great contributions to this sport， and I was interested in his story。 I am particularly fascinated by how a person gets involved in sport and how s/he excels。 Nathan explained all of that in this book。 He did not disclose much of his personal life， other than interactions with family members that were mostly related to skating and education。 This makes me wonder if Nathan chose to omit his personal life or if he does not really have much of a personal life outside of skating。 Of course， it is his choice to include that information or not， but choosing to include so little about his life out of skating begs the question。 This book also includes a lot of technical detail about skating that may or may not interest people who are not as familiar with the sport's vocabulary。 I think one would have to be a skater or fan of figure skating to be able to appreciate these details。 The casual reader may not understand the terminology。 He outlined every detail and decision that went into preparing for competition from the coaching， music， costumes， scheduling， etc。 Chen's career was also affected by covid， and he discussed that in extraneous detail; at least it felt extraneous to me。 I am tired of reading about covid。 I realize， it was a major part of his competitive career， but I skimmed it。 Overall， skating fans will enjoy this book。 Nathan explains how he became a champion and the level of dedication that went into his skating career。 Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Dorothy J。
，
An ok audiobook read by Nathan Chen in a very monotone voice。 His journey to being a ice skating champion is somewhat interesting but I did not find it very compelling or memorable。
Kim Gosselin
，
wonderful storyA different look into Nathan as a person， not just a skater。 He writes so that even if you’re not a skater you will enjoy and understand the journey it takes to achieve even a fraction of what he did。
Denise
，
Enjoyable memoir by one of the big stars of figure skating in recent years， though not the most compelling offering in the genre。 Chen's story has plenty of ups and downs that one might sympathize with， but the writing here is just too bland to get much emotion across。 Enjoyable memoir by one of the big stars of figure skating in recent years， though not the most compelling offering in the genre。 Chen's story has plenty of ups and downs that one might sympathize with， but the writing here is just too bland to get much emotion across。 。。。more
Caryn
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I like to read about skating but this book is really intended for children。
Katherine Thomas
，
I loved this！ Nathan and his writing team did a fantastic job conveying his journey to the Olympics and growth as an athlete in a language understandable by figure skaters and non-figure skaters alike。 He gives readers the opportunity to experience some of the highest and lowest moments of his career and a glimpse into the unique sport that is competitive figure skating。
Jessica
，
I listened to this on audio only， so this might be one of those instances where something that was easy to listen to on audio would not really impress me on paper， so it's hard to rate its merit as a book。 It felt conversational and maybe not completely well-rounded or organized as a written memoir， but since Nathan was just talking I appreciated his account of his skating career， recent competitions， and everything that went into it。 Which was his mom's drive and discipline， hours of training a I listened to this on audio only， so this might be one of those instances where something that was easy to listen to on audio would not really impress me on paper， so it's hard to rate its merit as a book。 It felt conversational and maybe not completely well-rounded or organized as a written memoir， but since Nathan was just talking I appreciated his account of his skating career， recent competitions， and everything that went into it。 Which was his mom's drive and discipline， hours of training and trying to figure out how to train， coaches and choreographers， physical and mental challenges， COVID precautions， and more。 Jumping and twisting on ice feels crazy， and it takes a lot of training to maintain the ability to do so （hence the one jump at a time， which felt like a cheesy title but also accurate）。 I'm not sure anyone can do quads and not end up with all sorts of injuries， so I'd be totally fine with everyone doing triples。。。 but of course in a competition people inevitably want to stand out and do more。 This is a short book by page count （audio always feels long） but I felt like I got a full play by play through the years from Nathan's perspective。 3。5 rounded up。 。。。more
Peter Murray
，
So nice to accompany a single-minded type on his victorious attempt at greatness。
Bookworm
，
I did not know much/anything about Chen （I don't follow the Olympics， have never gone ice skating， etc。） but it sounded like an interesting book。 I liked the title and the picture so I thought it might be a different but fun read in the winter time。It's， as the cover says， his story。 From the first time he put on ice skates at the age of 3 to becoming an Olympic-winning ice skater despite coming from a family that could not afford things like coaches or time at the rink， etc。 From the highs and I did not know much/anything about Chen （I don't follow the Olympics， have never gone ice skating， etc。） but it sounded like an interesting book。 I liked the title and the picture so I thought it might be a different but fun read in the winter time。It's， as the cover says， his story。 From the first time he put on ice skates at the age of 3 to becoming an Olympic-winning ice skater despite coming from a family that could not afford things like coaches or time at the rink， etc。 From the highs and lows， successes and setbacks， to some of the things he had to endure， etc。Overall I had to agree with the negative reviews。 The writing feels stilted， paint by the numbers that was not particularly interesting。 It could be that he's young， that this was a book pushed out too soon， etc。 but I did not feel particularly interested by his story。 It could also be that I just did not care about ice skating beyond stories that make the headlines， etc。But I'm sure for the right person this could be an excellent book。 Whether for an APIA ice skater or someone who is interested in the sport or a historian looking at different aspects of ice skating， etc。 this might be of interest to you。Borrowed from the library and that was best for me。 。。。more
Cheryl
，
I was rooting for Nathan Chen so hard during the Winter 2022 Olympic Games， and when he knocked it out of the park with Rocket Man， I was thrilled。 It was interesting to learn about Nathan's struggles and triumphs on his road to gold， and particularly how much he leaned on his family for support。 The unwavering dedication his mom gave to Nathan and his skating career was unfathomable， especially considering she had 4 other children that she also nurtured and encouraged in their interests and pur I was rooting for Nathan Chen so hard during the Winter 2022 Olympic Games， and when he knocked it out of the park with Rocket Man， I was thrilled。 It was interesting to learn about Nathan's struggles and triumphs on his road to gold， and particularly how much he leaned on his family for support。 The unwavering dedication his mom gave to Nathan and his skating career was unfathomable， especially considering she had 4 other children that she also nurtured and encouraged in their interests and pursuits。 That woman deserves a gold medal！ 。。。more
Julie Herman
，
Loved reading about all the behind the scenes work that goes into becoming an Olympic champion。 Re-watched Nathan’s Beijing performances when I finished and it made them even more enjoyable。
MeiXing
，
Really great to hear about Nathan’s journey， and it reminds you that champions are not necessarily born， but honed through much hard work as well as support from others。
Susan
，
Since I didn't watch the Winter Olympics in 2022 I had never heard of Nathan Chen but I found the story of his journey to Olympic gold a fascinating one。 The man has been skating his whole life， and he and his mom lived away from the rest of the family so he could train， and all those quad jumps were really hard on his body。 I admire his persistence and determination and enjoyed the book。 Since I didn't watch the Winter Olympics in 2022 I had never heard of Nathan Chen but I found the story of his journey to Olympic gold a fascinating one。 The man has been skating his whole life， and he and his mom lived away from the rest of the family so he could train， and all those quad jumps were really hard on his body。 I admire his persistence and determination and enjoyed the book。 。。。more
Gina
，
Ehh。。。。only OK。 Narrations can make or break a book for me and this narration was not good。 Nathan sounded congested and in places his reading was awkward and didn't sound natural for someone who supposedly was involved in writing the book。 Also found it bizarre that he mispronounces names of famous skating people he worked with in his career。 ？！？！ I have followed this skater since he was a toddler， so am familiar with all of these stories and therefore thought I would enjoy the book more than I Ehh。。。。only OK。 Narrations can make or break a book for me and this narration was not good。 Nathan sounded congested and in places his reading was awkward and didn't sound natural for someone who supposedly was involved in writing the book。 Also found it bizarre that he mispronounces names of famous skating people he worked with in his career。 ？！？！ I have followed this skater since he was a toddler， so am familiar with all of these stories and therefore thought I would enjoy the book more than I did。 Disappointed。 Maybe just read it---don't listen to this one if you are interested。 。。。more
Chelsea
，
As a Chinese American and a figure skating fan， I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 I followed him as a fan from his JGP till the Olympics。 I always thought he has great talent and put in a lot of hard work。 He pretty much dominated the last quad。 This book really opened my eyes on what goes behind the scenes， and how much hardship Nathan and his mom had to go through。 The story is truly inspiring。 I really hope Nathan will return to the competitive world！
Jane
，
Nathan Chen gives the reader a brutally honest description of his struggles in The world of figure skating。 As a fan of the sport， I recognize him as one of the greatest skaters who ever lived。 After reading this book， I recognize him as a quality human being who is telling his story in order to help others face their own difficulties， whatever they may be。
bluerose
，
I want to be fair， so。。。。is it that figure skating memoirs used to be written more compellingly or did I love the sport more in my younger days？
Rebecca
，
I wanted to like this book， but I found it boring and formulaic。 Nathan describes his ascent as a figure skater in kind of a sterile way that makes me feel like I’m reading a recipe or a science experiment。 Maybe later on he talks more about his emotions and thought process， but I stopped a third of the way in and can’t be bothered to continue reading。 I still have a lot of respect for Nathan and what he’s accomplished， but can’t recommend this as a good book。
Emma
，
I loved reading about Nathan Chen's skating journey， and while I know he hasn't written the whole book himself， I think the person who helped him did a great job because I really felt like I was listening to Nathan's words。 It made me respect him even more than I already did because， boy， that journey to Olympic gold has been even harder than I thought。 The amount of dedication， motivation and sacrifices it took not only from Nathan but also his entire family， is really awe-inducing。 I loved reading about Nathan Chen's skating journey， and while I know he hasn't written the whole book himself， I think the person who helped him did a great job because I really felt like I was listening to Nathan's words。 It made me respect him even more than I already did because， boy， that journey to Olympic gold has been even harder than I thought。 The amount of dedication， motivation and sacrifices it took not only from Nathan but also his entire family， is really awe-inducing。 。。。more
Ann
，
It's a very insightful book about Nathan's journey to Olympic Gold。 Especially interesting for those， who know about figure skating ang have been following Nathan's career。 As a figure skating enthusiast I was there when the 2016 injury happened， when the hopes were high for the Olympic gold in 2018 and the eventual unfolding and disappointment of the Olympics， the undefeated seasons leading up to 2022 and the eventual gold in 2022 Olympics （an absolute highlight of the Olympics for me）。 The boo It's a very insightful book about Nathan's journey to Olympic Gold。 Especially interesting for those， who know about figure skating ang have been following Nathan's career。 As a figure skating enthusiast I was there when the 2016 injury happened， when the hopes were high for the Olympic gold in 2018 and the eventual unfolding and disappointment of the Olympics， the undefeated seasons leading up to 2022 and the eventual gold in 2022 Olympics （an absolute highlight of the Olympics for me）。 The book gave a lot of insight into what was going on behind the scenes that we just did not know about at the time。 The book was well written and flew by quickly。 It was especially enjoyable to combine it with rewatching the performances that were mentioned throughout the book。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=One Jump at a Time
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=One Jump at a Time&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,One Jump at a Time&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0