Breaking the Surface: How Greg Louganis Overcame Prejudice to Take Home Olympic Gold (LGBTQ+ Sports Memoir) Paperback – March 1, 2006

A great book. The story is gripping and very moving, Louganis is very frank about his biography and his emotional world. This man achieved unsurpassed athletic greatness; against the backdrop of truly harrowing social, emotional, physical and familial circumstances. Generally written in a very straightforward, plain language; this book is both an absorbing page-turner; and an inspiring document on humanity.

Greg Louganis captured our hearts, minds and the spirit of the American dream in his quest for Olympic Gold. Over his many years in competition no one knew the anguish he suffered stemming from years of self doubt and recrimination. Diving became his way of expression. His quest for perfection, born from the burning desire to shout out to the world that he was never less than his fellows, was riddled with self loathing for the secrets he held so close. Each time he towered high above us on the boards or the platform he had the ability to block out all else but the dive he was about to attempt. He was never less than poetry in motion. He seemed perfect in every way. Understated and humble, this very handsome, extraordinarily built and sculpted figure of a young man thrilled us every moment he was in our sights and we cheered him, urged him and all but willed him to greatness. Such was our love of him and such was our awe of his abilities. There came a day, as it comes for all athletes, when the Olympic competition we were watching would be his last. It was 1988 and as he prepared for the preliminary dive and jettisoned himself from that board, we heard the dreadful sound that would shake the Olympic world to its very foundations and would cut Greg Louganis open to his very core. The wound to his head was not a large one in size but the scope of that injury would cause his life to begin to unravel as the eyes of the world were upon him. We breathed a sigh of relief when we were informed that he was sufficiently recovered to continue the competition. His scores plummeted as a result of that terrible encounter with the board but at least he survived it. No one expected him to win the competition and it would be the last time we would ever watch him compete. As sad as the moment seemed, it was all OK because Louganis was OK...and we all thanked the respective gods! The applause was thunderous as he mounted the steps to this last Olympic moment. Suddenly the audience fell silent. At home, we held our collective breath as we watched him mentally prepare himself for the dive that had almost taken his life. As he took his first step you could almost feel the tension start to tear away at the crowd leaning forward in their seats to witness this moment and before we were able to blink, this bronzed Adonis broke the surface of the water with hardly a sound. There was a nano-second of complete silence and then, the muffled roar of the crowd was heard from below the water line. It was absolute and it was ear shattering as his head came back up through to the surface. He had done it! He had clinched the Gold once again and had won medals in three consecutive Olympics! Hundreds of thousands of people around the world cheered this unbelievable hero, this perfect being, this athlete who graced our lives with the beauty of his gift. What was happening behind the scenes was as dramatic as anything we saw that day. Only his trainer, his doctor and himself knew the truth of what that injury might mean to other athletes but it would still be six long years before the secret would be revealed! When the news broke in 1994, primarily as a result of this book, the world again held its breath...for its hero had all but toppled from Mount Olympus with the headline. Greg Louganis was gay, HIV positive and had been already been diagnosed six months before the 1988 Olympics! The questions were obvious...Why had he not told anyone, How could he risk the lives of others, WHY??? This, then is the story of who Greg Louganis really was and what molded him to become the greatest diver the world has ever known and the reticent poster boy for yet another generation of gay men. It is the story of courage so great and abuse so intense that lesser beings would, perhaps, not have withstood it. It is the story of a very private man whose life had suddenly burst open and was thrust upon the world. It is a story not to be missed for it is the story of survival, recovery and redemption of one of our most highly respected and best loved athletes. We knew the competitor...now, enter and come to know the man!

I always loved watching Greg dive. I saw the documentary he did for HBO, it made me want to read the book. I think it was well written. I enjoyed his open honesty about his difficult childhood and coming out about being gay. I read a few reviews where the reviewers said Greg whined all through the book. I totally disagree! He was open, honest and opened his heart up to tell his story to his fans. I also believe he did get cheated by not being featured on a Wheaties box or have many more promotional deals. I've always believed you are born with the feelings it isn't a choice. Greg made me understand how hard he struggled with those feelings from such a young age. How he had girlfriends but was attracted to men. I loved how he said he can appreciate the beauty when he sees a beautiful woman. He was a handsome young man and still is. I feel bad that he had some volatile relationships. I'm so very happy he found a good man in his husband. I wish them nothing but love and happiness. I think Greg is a excellent role model for our youth. I have several gay friends and a couple family members. I have the up most respect for any gay person that is honest about who they are and live life to the fullest. I however do not have a ounce of respect for someone that knows they are gay and marry someone of the opposite sex. It happened to me in 1988, to this day he has never admitted his homosexuality to me. Nor has he apologized for all the people he hurt and $ my parents wasted on a big wedding. He is now married to his high school sweetheart, I know this because I found his mom on social media. A coward not a brave man like Greg.I think this is the perfect book for anyone who loved watching Greg dive and for anyone struggling with their sexuality. Bravo Greg!

This is a very straight forward story of multi Olympic gold-medal winning athlete, Greg Louganis. His growing up had many obstacles such as having a stutter, dyslexia (which was not diagnosed until he was in college), and constantly trying to prove he was not retarded. Being darker skinned in an all white school subjected him to bullying and teasing. His report cards weren't good, but his gift of gymnastics and dancing resulted in rewarding achievements. Greg, being of Polynesian descent, was not adopted until he was nine months old. His father by birth was Samoan, his mother northern European; both parents unmarried teens when he was placed into an adoption program. His adoptive mother is great, but his father of Greek descent was stern and explosive at times. His adopted sister, Despina, and he always tried to avoid upsetting their father. Reaching maturity, he was still plagued with issues that tended to keep him from doing much socializing. He tried to keep his homosexuality private as well as having been tested HIV positive. Some of his homosexual relations were devastating, sometimes threatening his successful diving career and the benefits of his success. This is a well written autobiography of Greg Louganis with help from co-author Eric Marcus. It is easy to read and it's honesty very moving. I liked this story and I found it hard to put down. Highly recommend.

This 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.

Oh Greg, Greg, Greg. What a shame that you had to go through so much to get where you wanted to go and achieve your dreams. I got so upset with your naivety when it came to "Tom". What a loser this guy is/was. I could have slapped you if you would have been close to me as I was reading what you let him do to you due to your naivety. But it's over now. You are happy and we are so happy with you. You deserve to be happy Greg after all the sacrifices you made in your life and all the pain you went through. I'm 74 years old now and I was in Montreal for the Olympics where I saw you for the first time. I have been following you on and off due to my work and lately, I saw you on TV on different interviews and decided to read your story. I must say that I really enjoyed reading it and that, like many others, I admire your courage and determination. I wish you all the very best with your husband and I'll continue to follow you.

An interesting and inspiring read that is at times happy, at times devastating, but always thought provoking and well written.

Ich bin kein Fan von Biografien, weil man weiß, dass meist nur die vorteilhaften Seiten des Objekts der offiziellen Neugierbegierde ausgebreitet werden. Vor allem werden alle Erfolge noch einmal ausführlichst beschrieben, noch goldener und noch brillianter, als sie ohnehin schon waren.Und das vermutete ich eigentlich auch bei diesem Buch; denn Erfolge hatte dieser Sonnyboy, den die US-Amerikaner nicht ganz so liebten, weil er nur den Sissysport "Diving" oder Wasserspringen betrieb. 4 Goldmedaillen und sein blendendes Aussehen ließen ihn aber dann doch berühmt werden. So berühmt, dass er mit dieser Biografie noch einmal ordentlich finanziell würde abräumen können.Das hat er wahrscheinlich wirklich getan, stand diese Biografie doch 5 Wochen lang auf dem 1. Platz der Bücherliste der N.Y. Times. Allerdings wird das den Grund gehabt haben, dass es sich um eine Lebensbeichte handelt. Denn Louganis verfolgte mit der Veröffentlichung das Ziel, endlich sein Leben in Lüge aufzugeben und der Öffentlichkeit zu gestehen, dass er schwul ist. Anderen jungen Menschen zeigend, dass Schwule nicht der letzte Dreck sind, sondern Großes leisten können, um so ihr Selbstbewusstsein zu heben.Viele seiner Freunde haben ihm dringend davon abgeraten, weil sie um seine körperliche Unversehrtheit fürchteten.Und auch das Schlimmste, seine AIDS-Erkrankung, verheimlichte er nicht. Das schlug wie eine Bombe ein.Das sind aber nur die Äußerlichkeiten. Wir lernen einen Menschen kennen, der auf Grund seiner Sozialisation ein nur geringes Selbstbewusstsein hat und deshalb alle Kraft in die eine ganz große Begabung investiert und sich nicht unterkriegen lässt, auch wenn die Erfolge sich mal nicht gleich einstellen.Und was ich ungeheuer mutig fand, er erzählt auch von seiner Beziehung mit einem Mistkerl, der ihn in übelster Weise ausnutzt. Das war für Louganis besonders wichtig, weil er anderen schwulen jungen Menschen zeigen wollte, dass man sich aus solch abusiven Verhältnissen lösen kann und vor allem lösen muss, wenn man nicht vor die Hunde gehen will.Und dies alles lässt er von seinem Biografen so mitreißend schreiben, dass ich ständig mit den Tränen kämpfen musste. (Sogar im Augenblick, beim Schreiben über dieses Buch, geht es mir so.) Viel Fröhliches gibt es nicht! Leider!Und seine Beichte hatte zur Folge, dass er jahrelang keinen Trainervertrag bekam, weil er eben schwul und krank war. In der N.Y. Times las ich dann jedoch, dass er die Vorurteile überwunden hatte, als Trainer angestellt wurde, seine Krankheit im Griff habend.Und das gönne ich ihm von Herzen. Denn ich bewundere Menschen, die sich vom 10-Meter-Brett stürzen und dabei so viele Drehungen machen, dass mir beim Hinsehen schon schwindlig wird.Seinen größten und gefährlichsten Sprung hat er aber mit dieser Biografie gemacht - und überlebt! Gott sei Dank!!!

Great. Exactly as advertised.

A interesting and easy read.It's good to hear that Greg is still doing well after such an eventful life. All Olympians are winners.