Beyond the mists of prehistory, back when the 7.5 meter platform was made of giant slabs of rock and the 10m was supplied by the pate of a cooperative apatosaur, this reviewer used to fantasize about making it to the Olympics as a diver when he should have been doing his mat exercises. One might think that most diving training is about falling but OH NO it's actually planted drearily on the sweat-pooling surface of dense coated rubbersmelly foam where you repeat ad infinitum the broken-down-into-parts motions you hope to later do in the air with none of the human enjoyment of the gravity-free grace it conjures before the uninitiated eye. For: an instant of awareness interrupts muscle-memory such that when you stop being a robot so you can experience it as a human, you flub the grace you appreciate as a human because you turned off the robot. You have to give yourself to it and enjoy it only later on video. Were you not in robot mode you'd be overwhelmed by the horror of being so high, wet and nearly nude in front of spectators whose noises the acoustics of an aquatic center exaggerate into a roar even if they are only a few devoted family members, your competitors, and the maintenance crew of surly work-study students. But you live for how and when and where that roar is silenced by your entry which, even if you flub it painfully with high water and the promise of blisters rising later, is exquisite in the sudden difference between the noise-riled fear and the peaceful nothing of that deepest third of the diving well where nothing is to be heard but the thruft*thruft*thruft* heartbeat of the pool's pumps and the gentle gurgles of departing bubbles from the slim shattered suit of air that escorted you down there. Greg, honey, would it have been too much to ask for you to write about THAT?? Or what that is like when you're the best in the world?! Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to read your book and still have no idea what a dive is like WHEN YOU'RE THE BEST IN THE WORLD?? Were you aware that every dive you made appeared as if it were in slow motion?Academically accomplished yet profoundly lame-brained Dr. David Eagleman spent tons of grant money examining whether the mind actually operates faster when falling, assuming that artistic tropes and memory-into-story cognitive habits must have some factual basis in neurology, that some events (such as falling) are experienced in "slow motion" because of some brain magic whereby speeded-up processing produces a different experience of time. He had people build elaborate "controlled fall" rigging and devised a "perceptual chronometer" which flashed numbers so quickly it was just past the perceptual limits of people who are not falling, on the assumption that--I'm not making this up--people who are falling, if they experience the fall slower, should be able to see the numbers.While it might have been cheaper to interview actual divers (or just one) or more closely examine individual accounts of the "widely reported" phenomena of time slowing down, who cares about that shit when you can build your own amusement park and let the attachment of a few devices mean it's research? The conclusion of his study was what any diver could tell you: subjective time does not slow down when you're falling.In fact, it's the opposite. A supremely elegant dive (such as my low-definition VHS clips of Greg doing his flawless two-and-a-half reverse layout with a twist which still brings tears to my eyes) appears as if it is in slo-mo even when it is not, contrasting sharply with the whoosh-whoosh-splash instantaneous experience of the real thing. They shoulda just asked Greg. His ghost-writer (er, "collaborator") Eric Marcus should have just asked Greg. The list of things that Marcus should have asked Greg is lengthier than it would have been if he were just a damn sports reporter, which would have been preferable to this faggy self-help author (It's ok, I'm allowed to say that. I had posters of Greg wallpapering my adolescent bedroom for reasons not solely limited to athletic aspirations). I should add that I was a terrible diver and wouldn't even have made it to regional competitions even had I known that some competition judges could be persuaded toward more generous ratings in exchange for a little after-hours company which I totally woulda jumped on. This info bit is the most interesting thing in the book.I'm amazed at the raw nuts it took for Louganis to reveal what he did in this book, but in the hands of his co-author what Breaking the Surface actually gives us is a gossipy coach-dissing locker-room drama (mercifully leaving out the barfing and the hemorrhoids), domestic violence boyfriend knife-fights, and oh-dad-why-cant-I-please-you Lifetime Channel melodrama in lieu of, say, any details about what it is like to compete in foreign countries and meet people from around the world with whom you likely have more in common than the majority of the people in the country you are representing. There is not one thing, not one thing, in this book about the foreign cities he competed in. Seriously, this book has no Seoul.But I still love you, Greg. I always will.
I remember watching Greg dive and always thought he was so handsome. I recently saw the biography he did for HBO and it sparked my interest to read the book. I feel bad that he had such low self esteem and a not so easy life. I understand how a gay person can have such mixed emotions regarding their sexual orientation and being afraid to be open about it. I am glad that it is more acceptable for most people now than when he was younger. I think it is even normal that he had girlfriends when he was younger and was trying to deny that he was gay. While I do believe everyone's sexual life is their own business, I do admire and have much respect for gay people that are open and honest with who they are. They are living and enjoying their life, as they should. As everyone should enjoy life. I have a few gay family members and many gay friends. What I do not have an ounce of respect for is a gay person that would harm another person to hide their sexuality. I unknowingly married a gay man, who I believe in hindsight he knew at a very young age he was gay, just as Greg did. He definitely knew in HS. But you do not marry someone, thinking you can make it work while you are in a relationship with another man the entire time. Probably the same man since high school. Then tell the woman you love them like a sister after one month of marriage, never tell the truth, never apologize for all the people that were hurt and money that was wasted. To this day the only reason I know is because 20 plus years later I found his mother on social media. So to Greg thank you for being the worlds greatest diver. Thank you for being so open and honest with your fans. I am so happy for you that you finally found the right man for you, I wish you both years of happiness!You are both beautiful inside and out.
Do You like book Breaking The Surface (1995)?
An astounding dive into a good mans soulThis book was well written but the primary reason for anyone to read it is because Greg Louganis allowed every reader entry into the essence of the man he is and more importantly the vulnerable person he has been. Most of us are still keeping the reality of who we are hidden but Greg shows us that is not the thing that we are meant to do. He continues to evolve into a better man and in the process into a much better soul. I love him for that special gift he has given to all of us.
—Dan Ford
Full disclosure--I have been in love with Greg Louganis since long before I knew one man could love another. I bought his book when it first came out, amid an insane hailstorm of publicity and forgot to read it. Last week I saw a clip from the documentary being made about his life and remembered that I had this book on a shelf somewhere. Better late than never.It is a very good book and Louganis is shockingly honest. He doesn't appear to sugar coat anything and makes every attempt to share his sometimes very painful, sometimes very ugly story, warts and all.I am always amazed when public people that I've been aware of forever (Louganis has loomed large in my life for as long as I can remember) share their stories and their private lives are so shockingly different from what I had imagined. The life I imagined Louganis was living couldn't have been more different from his reality.
—David Jay
I imagine writing this book must have been a cathartic experience for Greg Louganis. I heard Greg speak in person last week during an LGBT event and he likened his secret of being gay and HIV+ to someone isolated in a remote island cut off from communications with the rest of the world. His story of depression, insecurity, equating performance with acceptance, and a deep hunger for unconditional love is the universal story of the human condition; gay or straight. But, struggling with one's sexuality on top of all of that, while the rest of the world viewed him as the virile, hetero, good-looking male athlete must have been a pressure like no other. Overall, a candid and good memoir.
—Dri
