Name: Go, Gwen, Go
ISBN: 9781782551911

Nancy Jorgensen

Elizabeth Jorgensen

Narrated in alternating voices by Olympian Gwen Jorgensen's mother and sister, this book is an inspiring story Jorgensen and her family. Her story will take readers inside the personal life of a professional athlete, complete with family crises and holiday celebrations.

A Family's Journey to Olympic Gold

Go, Gwen, Go

b.andherbooks

I had a mighty struggle getting through this book. I found the alternating voices of the mother and sister of Olympian Gold Medalist Gwen Jorgensen distracting and often repetitive. Why not edit these narratives together into a cohesive memoir? I especially did not care for the sister's portions, as they were full of purple prose and unnecessary personal details.

But then again, who was the intended audience for this book? I as a non-Olympian, non-athlete found myself struggling through the jargon, the over abundant descriptions of watching Gwen's races, their thoughts about how sad it was that Gwen couldn't enjoy the family time they had because she was so consumed with her sport and competing.

Is this story helpful to actual athletes either? I'm not sure. Gwen as a person and competitor still feels like a stranger to me, the reader. Sure, her story can be seen as inspirational, but honestly the belief Gwen is just a "normal" person who succeeded even though she was "not exceptional" feels disingenuous. Gwen is a wealthy, white woman who was exceptional for her hard work ethic and privileged for the opportunities she was given the chance to take. Most people would not have the same chances. 

I feel like this book is a project her family very much wanted to do, regardless of Gwen's feelings on the subject. There may be niche interest due to the upcoming 2020 Olympics but it isn't clear Jorgensen will even be competing. I checked today and she's not competing in the triathlon, has dropped out of the Olympic marathon, and is instead focusing on the 10,000k track event.

Basically, a family's vanity project with some casual insight in to being related to an Olympian athlete. I'd much rather have read Gwen's own memoir.

Go, Gwen, Go A Family's Journey to Olympic Gold