I finished reading Andre Agassi’s autobiography, Open, a few weeks ago. I have waited to post anything about it because I had mixed emotions towards it and I wanted to see how I felt about it after a little bit of time. Open is essentially the book of Agassi’s entire life…not just tennis. Agassi writes about his childhood, his adolescence, his young adulthood, and adulthood. He writes about his family, his friends, his enemies, his coaches, his girlfriends, his wife, his children… and tennis. He writes in chronological order, which works perfectly in this setting. Agassi takes the reader on a journey through each and every experience that he feels is notable in his life.
Now that I have had some time to think about it, I am ready to pass judgment… I think it is a great autobiography. Agassi did an excellent job. Now, I am always skeptical about autobiographies because the author can really indulge themselves and stretch the truth; however, nowhere in Open did I even think Agassi was doing this… everything he wrote felt honest and true. Also, I have gotten absolutely sick of previously famous people coming out and writing books about not only themselves but degrading others as well (Canseco), in an effort to recapture the spotlight. Agassi’s book simply does not do this; it is all about Andre, how Andre feels, what Andre thinks, and what Andre does, and I liked that. Yes, he does tell the reader how others felt, or what others thought, but he makes it clear that this is simply his observation, and it is rarely degrading. Most importantly, I loved his introspective analysis of tennis and its role in his life. Andre Agassi hates tennis, truly. If you don’t believe me, or even if you do, read the book because it is excellent.
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