- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (Mar 30 2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0470837357
- ISBN-13: 978-0470837351
- Product Dimensions: 2.3 x 1.7 x 0.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 522 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#190,024 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #16 in Books > Gay & Lesbian > Biographies & Memoirs > Gay
- #49 in Books > Sports > Water Sports > Swimming
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In public, Mark Tewksbury has always credited the 1976 Olympics as a major inspiration for his becoming an Olympic champion swimmer, but in fact, it was wearing a towel-turban in imitation of his grandmother and swimming in her condo pool that first sparked his love of swimming. Intimate and endearing details such as these are what provide Tewksbury's story with relevance beyond the famous-athlete-fights-and-overcomes-his-personal-demons story. Granted, Tewksbury covers all the usual challenges faced by performance athletes-the sacrifices, the post-Olympic depression, the intense glare of the media spotlight-but it is his private sojourn as a gay man, from coming out of the closet to visiting his first gay bar ("it was like being in another world with fashionably dressed people drinking cocktails from martini glasses") to entering his first sexual relationship (an ongoing, three-way relationship with a male couple) that will resonate with the reader. Despite the "Gay Jock" subtitle, the book is accessible; Tewksbury comes with all the tics and quirks of your everyday gay man wrestling with his sexuality, and later, with the complexities of finding a partner and dating. A thoughtful, moving narrative that inspires as much as it entertains.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
In public, Mark Tewksbury has always credited the 1976 Olympics as a major inspiration for his becoming an Olympic champion swimmer, but in fact, it was wearing a towel-turban in imitation of his grandmother and swimming in her condo pool that first sparked his love of swimming. Intimate and endearing details such as these are what provide Tewksbury's story with relevance beyond the famous-athlete-fights-and-overcomes-his-personal-demons story. Granted, Tewksbury covers all the usual challenges faced by performance athletes-the sacrifices, the post-Olympic depression, the intense glare of the media spotlight-but it is his private sojourn as a gay man, from coming out of the closet to visiting his first gay bar ("it was like being in another world with fashionably dressed people drinking cocktails from martini glasses") to entering his first sexual relationship (an ongoing, three-way relationship with a male couple) that will resonate with the reader. Despite the "Gay Jock" subtitle, the book is accessible; Tewksbury comes with all the tics and quirks of your everyday gay man wrestling with his sexuality, and later, with the complexities of finding a partner and dating. A thoughtful, moving narrative that inspires as much as it entertains. (Publishers Weekly, April 10, 2006)
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Candid, honest and entertaining,
By Eric Descoteaux (Montreal, Quebec Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Inside Out: Straight Talk from a Gay Jock (Hardcover)
I just finished reading Inside Out. I must say that I was impressed. I had heard the author, Mark Tewksbury, give two speeches before and had found him to be a great storyteller: entertaining, interesting, funny and genuine. Well, the book had me enthralled. I finished it in 24 hours. I could not put it down. This is a great look at the inner workings of the big business of international sports, complete with the trappings of power and fame. I laughed out loud and got a knot in my throat more than a few times. The author shares some great insights in human nature and acceptance of diversity. It is a fascinating read and I highly recommend it to anyone with an open mind that wants to know more about what it is like to grow up in an "invisible" minority. It took a lot of guts and courage for Mark to have accomplished what he has then revealling it to the world. Chapeau!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Funny, Touching, Honest & Sexy,
By Felix (Calgary AB) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Inside Out: Straight Talk from a Gay Jock (Hardcover)
I absolutely LOVE this book, because it's funny (sometimes hilarious), touching (I don’t cry easily but it not only wet my eyes, it touched my heart), honest (so honest that you could call it bold sometimes), and yes, sexy (you’ve got to find out yourself :))!!!I just finished reading it, and it’s 3:30 in the morning. I can’t believe that I finished it in just 3 nights! I just couldn’t stop reading until deep into the night because Mark has such an interesting life to tell, and he told it in his unique way that makes you laugh and cry. Just when you think the story couldn’t get any better, it did, and it touched your heart. To me his life is legendary but at the same time, he is just another human being that does all the ordinary things we all do, he'd make mistakes, or become upset or pissed off. Through the book, I saw humanity, love, and integrity. And trust me, it’s absolutely entertaining at the same time! I wasn’t sleeping much these 3 nights, but I’m feeling happy, warm, hopeful, and full of energy. I always like reading or listening to stories, but I had never enjoyed an autobiography until this one. I closed the book tonight feeling my best since this year.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews) 48 of 52 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
True grit, honesty, and motivation,
By Philip A. Tecau "Philip Tecau" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Inside Out: Straight Talk from a Gay Jock (Hardcover)
I have worked for the past 25 years with gay men in psychotherapy, and was an ex athlete myself, so I was intrigued but clinically skeptical of Mark Tewksbury's autobiography.My skepticism was completely unfounded. He was completely forthright, struggling to find himself in an overwhelmingly staight world of elite athletics. This Olympian just took it one step at a time, in first taking advantage of his natural athletic abilities, then in slowly finding his way to come out, and then balance that coming out process with the world of sport. What eventually emerged for me was his deep value system of honesty--of being true to himself in whatever circumstances--something which I continually drum into my gay clients, and to what I work at daily in my own life. His book truly touched me--as an ex-athlete, as a clinician, and and as a human being who understands struggle. Eloquent, easy, to read, I HIGHLY recommend this book. Philip Tecau Oakland, California 12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Plain-spoken but involving memoir of a gay athlete,
By klavierspiel "klavierspiel" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Inside Out: Straight Talk from a Gay Jock (Hardcover)
Decades after Dave Kopay's ground-breaking autobiography, there still are very few elite athletes who have been willing to come out of the closet. Therefore, Mark Tewksbury's memoir gains an automatic interest. Tewksbury, a 1992 Olympic gold medalist in the backstroke (he upset favored American Jeff Rouse), does not focus a great deal in "Inside Out" on this triumph, at least in part because he has already penned a book on that topic, but mostly because he wants to focus on what he views as more essential subjects. He talks of his family and his generally unhappy childhood, his early same-sex crushes, his fear of exposure both before and especially after his rise to the highest rank of his sport, all to frequently moving effect. His accounts of his foray within the international Olympic movement, and later involvement with the nascent Gay Games, offer fascinating glimpses into the politics and intrigue of big-time sports.All this may seem like a lot to stuff into a relatively short book, and in fact, it is. Tewksbury, who on the evidence is a decent writer, spends so much time recounting events that there is not much time for atmosphere or reflection, though one might take this as an accurate conveyance of what frequently seems to be a frantic, fast-paced life. When he does pause to talk about his emotions his plain style is genuinely touching, as in his account of his father's death from cancer. Though one may wonder just how hard a skilled athlete with a strapping physique and dazzling smile (evident in many of the photos, though the beefcake element is kept low-key), not to mention a gift for public speaking, could possibly have it, Tewksbury's willingness to reveal his inner anguish and vulnerability cannot fail to touch the reader. Until such time as the world of sport comes to terms with the sexual orientation of some of its greatest representatives books such as "Inside Out" will be necessary. 21 of 25 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Straight Up and Out Talk,
By Chad Sosna "Doo-Lang Love" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Inside Out: Straight Talk from a Gay Jock (Hardcover)
Mark Tewksbury is an inspiring person and a well-admired athlete of the Olympics. I'll be honest and say I was approaching this book from a shallow viewpoint. Though he was a swimmer, not a diver, it seemed like his "coming out" story would just be a pale comparison to that of Greg Louganis.This is not the case, however, as Mark's story is told with an elegance and difference that makes it stand alone. Do not expect high dramatics or shocking revelations, but there are well-learned lessons here and simply an amazing personal journey. It reminds us that each gay person's evolution is a unique story. What I most appreciated was that he dared to come forth with his relationship as part of a three-way couple, a theme that's unusual even in gay autobiographies. We've had the stories of Louganis, Billy Bean, and others, and this one joins the chorus in helping us recognize the special challenges that face the gay athlete in the coming-to-realize and coming-out processes. |
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