On Top of Glass: My Stories as a Queer Girl in Figure Skating by Karina Manta

On Top of Glass: My Stories as a Queer Girl in Figure Skating Reviews

• 
  Liralen

  It's always a pleasant surprise to pick up a book because you're interested in its themes (in this case: skating and queer identity) and to find that it's actually well done to boot. This memoir skates close to an essay format but ends up being quite a cohesive look at competitive skating—as well as questioning sexuality in a conservative area (and what is in many ways a conservative sport); dealing with body image, an eating disorder, and pressure to physically conform (in what is also a very image-focussed sport); and normal questions of growing up and fitting in.
  
  Sometimes it's big things, and sometimes it's little ones, like Manta's shift from loving the process of planning new costumes:

  My very first skating dress was a pink crushed-velvet number with a she'll-grow-into-it fit. At six years old, I asked my mom to sew a feather boa onto the sleeves because I had seen Oksana Baiul skate in a feather-laden dress on TV. The end result was a ridiculous and adorable outfit—a unique creation that made me feel superhuman when I put it on (although I probably looked less like a superhero and more like a bubblegum chicken). As I got older, I stayed heavily involved in the dressmaking process—sketching out designs on scraps of paper with my mom and carefully gluing patterns of gleeful rhinestones onto our creations. But at some point, the procedure lost its magic. My coaches started getting involved. Judges started making notes. I was told not to wear halter dresses because they made my boobs look too big. I was not to wear white because the color emphasized the rolls of my stomach. I was told not to wear shorts or pants because they were against the rules. (Yes—in the sport of ice dance, there are rules against women wearing pants.) (216)

  There's so much here, isn't there? There's the irony of being older (and being a more advanced skater) meaning less control over the creative process. There's the emphasis on weight: size seeming as important as skill, and boobs being something to hide because...because...I haven't figured this one out. Because they imply a healthy amount of body fat, I suppose, and we can't have that. The extremely binarily gendered way in which ice dancing operates—always male/female pairs; women apparently can't wear pants (and men presumably can't wear skirts); Manta is one of very few openly queer female figure skaters, because heteronormativity is a thing.
  
  I'll leave it there—but it's worth looking up Manta's 2019 skate to 'Sweet Dreams' after reading.
• 
  Moony Eliver

  A lot to like about this. It reads like a YA coming out memoir, with the backdrop of Manta's skating career (and related issues like eating disorders). It held my attention but didn't particularly move me, although I think it definitely has its value and audience. I especially recommend it to YA readers who are questioning, struggling with their sexuality, or even just interested in the subject.
• 
  Julie

  Pleasantly surprised to find this book well written. Karina has a very real voice, and I found myself rooting for her all the way to the end! And then I went back and watched her 2019 Nationals Ice Dance performance with Joe, and it was so great!
• 
  Laura Gardner

  Karina Manta’s biography of her figure skating career is a love letter to self care and constant self discovery. Karina was a quiet child, but from the first time she tried ice skating, she fell in love. She tried singles skating for a few years, but soon transitioned to doubles ice dancing. When she moved to train at an elite skating facility in Colorado far from her home in Arizona, problems with disordered eating intensified. She writes honestly about the ways in which her eating disorder was exacerbated by her skating career and her struggle to break free from that pressure. The bulk of the book is concerned with her struggle to understand her own sexuality and make sense of it in the highly gendered world of partners ice skating. I love the way she explains the process she went through to decide on the word that described her own sexuality and the way that the word bisexual helped her feel more connected to herself. Her skating career is detailed in the book, but this memoir is about much more than just an ice skater.
  
  This is a beautifully written memoir about an athlete with an uncommon gift for reflection. Karina Manta speaks clearly to her readers about the ways in which they should care for themselves while reading her book; she even goes so far as to say that if her eating disorder triggers readers that they should put the book down and move on. Her journey to understanding, accepting, and proudly proclaiming her own sexuality is lovingly told and will be inspirational for many readers.
  
  Recommended on audio!
• 
  Lorrie Kim

  It's wild when figure skaters good enough for internationals are just as good at other skills. I loved the fresh writing in this memoir by the first U.S. female skater to come out while still competing.
  
  If you remember any freedance from U.S. Nationals from the past couple of years, chances are you remember Manta and Johnson's Sweet Dreams FD, which got a standing ovation. Well-deserved: it's not everyone who can do justice to choreography by Christopher Dean! And it's not a coincidence that they did their best-ever competitive ice dancing *after* both partners came out publicly. The evidence is clear that skaters do their best when they're being true to themselves, whoever those selves might be at the moment.
  
  The details in this book are so finely observed. About a camping party, the girls fell asleep "lined up like crayons." The teen skaters prepped for competition by "painting lipstick over our braces" and covering acne with rouge. Look at this beautiful passage: "I often felt small in a beautiful and important way. Like a blade of grass. Like a honeybee."
  
  I loved the double meaning when Manta says ice dancers, less mainstream than singles skaters, are "edgier." They sure are. And I happy-gasped when I read how the rhythm of a childhood tic finally served a purpose when Manta discovered ice dancing. That convergence in the story gave me chills.
  
  Queer figure skating has been an interest of mine for decades, so I was always going to read this book, but it's a good read independent of its topic.
• 
  Nev

  I am continuing my quest to read memoirs and autobiographies from queer professional athletes. Karina Manta was the first woman on USA’s figure skating team to come out as queer. It was interesting to hear about her experiences in a sport, ice dance, that’s so steeped in strict gender roles and how stifling that could be. However the majority of the book isn’t super focused on Karina’s skating. I was hoping to see a bit more of it present throughout.
  
  On Top of Glass is a coming of age story. She writes about her experiences growing up, experiencing anxiety and panic attacks, having an eating disorder, figuring out her sexuality, and so much more. I think there’s a lot of great stuff in this book, but overall I just found the book to be fine.
  
  The writing in this really held me back from enjoying it more. It was way too flowery and relied heavily on analogies and similes. Having a few sprinkled in can add impact to a story, but it got to the point where it felt like every other sentence had some unnecessary flourish. She was probably trying to be poetic, but it just felt like someone trying a bit too hard to have beautiful writing and ended up missing the mark.
• 
  Rayna

  This is a beautifully written memoir about learning to find confidence in yourself, reckoning with your own truth, and realizing how beautiful growing up is, even when it is incredibly painful.
  
  It was so powerful to read a story by someone so incredibly successful, who also happens to be shy and anxious and doesn’t have everything figured out. What an amazing life Karina has already lived, and I am happy that she has used her experiences to grow and learn. I hope to continue reading her stories long into the future.
• 
  Dorothy

  I found this book in the high school library where I work, and it caught my eye because I love figure skating. And yes, it does have a lot about figure skating in it, but really, it's a nice coming of age memoir that really deals with anxiety, an eating disorder, and questions about one's sexuality in a way that will be way more interesting to the kids at my school than it is to me. As I've said just about every time I've reviewed a memoir, it's just not my favorite genre, so my solid 3 stars could easily be a 4 or 5 for someone who has more patience for the genre. I have no idea why, but today, when I was almost finished with the book, I went to YouTube to see if I could see one of her performances. I suddenly realized that I had known who she was when she was skating, but the photo on the front of the book didn't look like the 2019 Karina that I saw online. Having literally just watched the video and then reading the description of the event was a bit surreal. This book felt real, honest and just a little bit young for me - so perfect for the kids at my school.
• 
  Carrie Allen

  Easily one of my favorite sports memoirs. So genuine, so thoughtful and open-- at the end of every chapter, I just wanted to hug Karina. There are very raw and frank discussions of anxiety and eating disorders, but done in a way that feels so very careful and productive. And her writing is both beautiful and accessible. This one's a must-read for sports-lovers, bookworms... basically all humans.
• 
  Pine Reads Review

  “If you are someone who needs to be assured, I can assure you: Things will be okay in the end.”
  
  Karina Manta is a proudly queer professional ice dancer and figure skater. She has competed in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, performed with Cirque du Soleil, and now skates in ITV’s “Dancing on Ice”. But she wasn’t always secure in her identity as a queer woman, or in her own body and mind. In her beautifully written and heartachingly honest memoir, Karina recounts her teenage and early professional years. She shares her struggles with anxiety, battles with body image issues, and her journey to embrace her bisexuality. Karina Manta’s memoir, On Top of Glass: My Stories as a Queer Girl in Figure Skating, is a love letter to her past, present, and future self. Her book is an encouragement to readers: we are loved, and everything does work out in the end.
  
  The first thing I want to say about this book is thank you. Thank you, Karina, for sharing such intimate moments and thoughts with us readers; and thank you for the constant encouragement that you give us throughout the pages of your book. I don’t often read memoirs, and the specific genre of YA memoirs is still very new to me, but I was immediately drawn into Karina’s book by her poetic writing style. The book is told in vignettes, filled with vivid descriptions and profound moments of introspection. We meet Karina’s friends, witness her discovering her love for ice dancing, and navigate the trials of dating as a young woman. Karina shares her journey to embracing her bisexuality, as she learns how to love other women while learning to love herself, too. Karina’s exploration of self-love is maybe the most personally impactful, as someone who hasn’t always loved my body, either. The way Karina describes her relationship with her body, and her relationship with her anxiety and mental health, felt so poignantly written and reflected upon. Karina’s words truly voiced thoughts and emotions that I have so long felt, but rarely read or heard so clearly. Another aspect of this memoir which I appreciated is that Karina takes time to acknowledge where, in her stories, she is not entirely blameless. This memoir is about Karina’s life, and life is messy. We make mistakes; we aren’t always blameless. And that’s OK. She also asks readers to take in her words and emotions with care, especially for readers sensitive to talking about topics like eating disorders. I genuinely could go on and on about Karina’s book, but here’s my last comment: Go read it.
  
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• 
  Barbara

  This memoir is a 3.5 for me, and I know many teen readers who would enjoy it. Not only does the author provide details about competitive figure skating that enable readers to feel as though they are insiders to the sport and at times on the ice with her, but she identifies some of the problems with life on the ice. For Manta, born in Washington but reared in Arizona, skating was her one true love, a love that eventually took her to Colorado for serious training and competition. Her career took her from singles to part of a pair of ice dancers. Along the way, she struggled with anxiety, an eating disorder, and trying to figure out her own sexuality. The book contains stinging comments about judges and coaches who commented on her size, her weight, and even her "masculine" stride. As she seeks to reinvent herself as well as feel comfortable in her own skin, Manta faces many challenges but also experiences the joy of love and acceptance from those around her. It's fitting that she and her skating partner, Joe Johnson, finally triumph on the ice in a 2019 performance to "Sweet Dreams" that elicited a standing ovation from the audience. I highly recommend watching it and rejoicing in the power and confidence that comes from embracing oneself completely. The author's voice is fresh, honest, and direct as she reveals her flaws and struggles and the relief of no longer worrying about falling or letting others down or hiding parts of herself. As a fan of figure skating, I wish there had been even more details about training and the competitive events, including music and costume choices. It's also worth noting that reading this book may change forever how fans of the sport regard it. Now go watch this team's performance online.
• 
  Lys

  This book is so so good. I've read some YA memoirs that feel like they could have easily been adult books with just a change in marketing. ON TOP OF GLASS feels like a very purposeful and intentional memoir for teens with a lot of attention paid to Karina's own adolescence. As readers we are offered a look at the fierce and often stifling world of competitive figure skating, as well as beautiful descriptions of discovering queer identity, dealing with anxiety, recovering from an eating disorder, and finding a place in the world. Even teens who aren't interested in figure skating will find a lot to connect with in these pages, and for those who are interested in figure skating they can easily find videos of Karina and her skating partner, Joe, performing routines mentioned in the book. This is a fantastic non-fiction addition to any teen collection.
• 
  Monica

  This book was amazing! Karina's writing style is like having a conversation with the author and it was a extremely worthwhile conversation to have. I loved reading about how a girl from Arizona got into figure skating and eventually became an ice dancer.
  
  Some insights into the skating world were disturbing, the body shaming and the ignoring of injuries. But Karina was able to describe her journey through all these dark periods with care.
  
  As someone who struggles with anxiety myself, I saw a lot of my own experience in Karina's life. It was really helpful to see the success Karina has had with all the stumbles along the way ☺️
  
  I'm also a figure skating fan so I really enjoyed getting into the nitty-gritty of that, but even if you don't know the first thing about figure skating this book is still an awesome read and I highly recommend it.
• 
  Melissa Milich

  This book is charming and oh so lovely! A coming of age story that is so freshly written it will appeal to anybody even if they’ve never been on ice skates or don’t identify with being queer. I am neither and loved it because Karina’s struggles were so universal, and the bouncy nature of her oh-so-honest writing kept this a page-turner. I loved it! Well done, Karina! Waiting for your next book!!!!
  
  
• 
  Molly Dettmann

  This was a really accessible read, the narrative was straightforward for the most part and chapters read quickly. Karina wrote an authentic memoir that I can see many teens relating to. Her messages of self-love are welcome as she dives into really hard things she dealt with growing up and in the figure skating world. A worthy addition to high school collections!
• 
  Kelsey H

  Gosh darn it, the world needs more queer stories, and here's a beautiful one. Yes, some of the metaphors are a bit contrived, and yes, sometimes it can get a bit cheesy, but I'll take those things a dozen times if it means some questioning teen gets to read this and understand themselves a little bit better.
• 
  A.J.

  I read this book sooooo fast. There were moments where I legit teared up. Although Karina and I identify differently, we're both part of the queer skating community and her observations of the fear involved in coming out within our sport hit me hard. Karina has written a heartfelt memoir with simple but beautiful prose. Fans of figure skating will find this book of interest, as well as those who are interested in the lives of queer elite athletes.
  
  I honestly can't praise this book enough. If you're even slightly interested in the subject matter, I highly encourage you read this book and make it a part of your collection.
• 
  Claire Shannon

  Gives a wonderful light on some of the hardships figure skaters navigate. As well as being a role model on eating disorders and being a solo dancer to a pairs dancer. Inspiring, emotional, and riveting.
• 
  Bex

  My feelings about this book can be summed up in the feeling of sheer queer delight I felt when watching Manta and Johnson's final free dance:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCugp...
• 
  Ann Zhao

  how has nobody been talking about this book oh my god
• 
  Julia

  This was much more YA-oriented than I expected. Sexuality was very low-key. There was much more focus on her panic attacks and body image.
• 
  Stephanie

  I listened to the audiobook but I think I would’ve liked it better if I had read the book instead of listening to it.
• 
  Aslin

  As a queer skater… 🫠
• 
  Ana Filipa Carmo

  So good.
  So simple, yet so complex.
  I wish books like these were more popular.
  I wish I could’ve read this when I was 14/15.
  
  5 big stars ✨