A Skating Life: My Story »

America's Sweetheart" Dorothy Hamill grew up on the ice, working toward the dream she was to accomplish by age nineteen: winning Olympic gold in figure skating. But her life was not the picture of perfection it appeared to be. Dorothy faced a painful inner struggle with depression that followed her from the time she was a young girl into adulthood. The months she spent away from home to train and compete took a toll, yet little reprieve could be found in the tumultuous and fragile relationship she had with her parents.

Prologue: Innsbruck, Austria ix
1 How to Breed an Olympic Champion ... Maybe? 1
2 The Lake Placid Years 10
3 Bright Lights, Big City Girl 35
4 Go West, Young Skater 63
5 This Way to the Olympics 92
6 Hollywood, Here I Come 107
7 The High Price of Gold 128
8 Love on the Run 144
9 Good-bye, Dean 169
10 Family Life ... Finally 184
11 Escapades 195
12 Divorce, Dorothy Style 204
13 The Racehorse Back at the Starting Gate 215
14 Golden Snowflakes 226 Acknowledgments 237