I grew up watching the early career of Andre Agassi. My mom was a big sports fan, and one of her favorites was tennis. For most of the early years, he was considered the rebel who couldn't quite live up to his talent. This book presents his own perspective on his life and career, and it is done with surprising and refreshing honest about the ups and downs of his professional and personal life.

I found it really interesting how little Agassi actually liked the game. In fact, he has repeatedly said throughout the book and to many people that he outright hated it for a good portion of his career. That is probably not all that surprising. He got a start in the sport largely because of his father's drive. All four of the Agassi children were set up to play, and Andre showed the most aptitude. Unfortunately, his father drove him very hard, almost to the point where it seemed like his father was more interested in his career's success than in Andre himself.

Along the same lines, Agassi also suffers from a congenital defect in his lower spine. As a result, his back has presented an extra challenge to his success as an athlete, particularly in his later years.

After introducing the "story" through the events of his final match, he brings the reader back in time to his early childhood. His father worked him hard with training, and his father's ties to the tennis world also allowed Agassi to meet a number of the big names in the sport at that time. His father's drive leads to a big sense of betrayal when Andre is sent to a special academy for budding tennis players in Florida. It is almost a boot camp, and the harsh conditions really start the need for Andre's rebellious lifestyle.

Throughout that and the early years of his pro career, Agassi meets a number of influential people that help him both on the court and in his personal life. Some are famous people, such as his friend Barbra Streisand and his ex-wife Brooke Shields. Others are less well-known such as his manager, coaches, trainer, and spiritual guide/counselor.

The book also provides some interesting insight into some of the players who Agassi considers peers. This is best done when he is talking about specific matches and how the gameplay and interaction played out. It is quickly clear to the reader that he is not overly fond of Michael Chang, Boris Becker, or Pete Sampras. Jimmy Connors, and many sport writers, seems to have taken every opportunity to look down on Agassi throughout the years.

While he may sometimes seem harsh on them, it is clear that he is just as harsh (or even more so) on himself. He has no problem pointing out his own shortcomings, and he does this with honesty with both his personal and professional side. I think part of that is that he is a person who is very honest and open about his feelings. He doesn't hold back, and that is probably why he got a bit of a reputation of being a bit of a hothead. He says how he feels, both in good times and bad.

The writing is a bit on the simplistic side, which allows for fast-pacing during match descriptions. It works very nicely. The only thing that I struggled with was the lack of quotations during conversations that our presented. It is different than the norm, and it can be a bit jolting at first, but with time, I got used to the presentation. This was actually a very interesting and enjoyable read about a man who is very down-to-earth. I could really see myself just sitting down and having a chat with him.

He seems to have found real happiness and an ability to see how good of a person he is. While he dropped out of school in the 9th grade, he has built and finances an amazing charter school for 500 students in Las Vegas. He seems to have nicely integrated ways to help confront the challenges he had with a structured school environment into the school. His family with former pro-tennis play Stephanie Graf seems like the perfect addition to his life.