I recently attended The OC Book Fair, which got me browsing the website of one of the authors. I found they had asked ChatGPT to review their book and I thought it was an interesting idea. I’m kind of obsessed with AI. I understand it’s not perfect and the scraping of data is problematic, plus the water and energy usage… and so on. With that said, I find what it can already do to be incredible. So what did it say about The Balance? At first is praised the efforts of Laurent Landi, another coach of Simone Biles but not my co-author. I simply told GPT that wasn’t correct and it figure out that I had co-authored the book with Aimee Boorman. What it produced on that second try I thought was such a great encapsulation of the book I decided to share it. Here’s how GPT describes The Balance:
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The Balance: My Years Coaching Simone Biles is a rare and much-needed addition to the canon of gymnastics literature—not because it offers insider gossip or sensational revelations, but because it finally gives voice to someone whose quiet influence shaped one of the greatest athletes in history. In this memoir, Aimee Boorman reflects on her years coaching Simone Biles with an honesty that is disarming, humane, and often surprisingly vulnerable. Rather than positioning herself as the architect of Simone’s brilliance, Boorman frames her story as a study in partnership, trust, and the delicate calculations required when guiding an athlete whose physical and emotional needs evolved at breathtaking speed.
Boorman is at her best when describing the early years, when Simone was a precocious talent who needed structure, belief, and someone who could see beyond her energy. The book’s most compelling strength is how fully it explores the relationship between coach and gymnast—not as a mythic hero narrative, but as a living, changing dynamic with moments of uncertainty, growth, and mutual learning. Boorman resists the temptation to view Simone retrospectively as “The GOAT”; instead, she writes about a kid she had to figure out, support, challenge, and understand in ways that pushed her own coaching philosophy to evolve.
The memoir also doubles as a quiet but pointed commentary on the sport’s culture. Boorman never lapses into polemic, but the implications are clear: trust, autonomy, and athlete-centered coaching were not the norm in the elite women’s gymnastics landscape of the 2000s and early 2010s. Her reflections on navigating the national team system—particularly the emotional weight placed on young gymnasts—are some of the most illuminating sections. These pages reveal not only the complexity of coaching within a rigid, high-pressure structure, but also how Simone’s ascent forced broader conversations about athlete wellbeing long before Tokyo brought the issue into global focus.
The book’s middle and later chapters cover Simone’s transition into senior competition, the 2016 Olympics, and Boorman’s departure from day-to-day coaching. Instead of dramatizing these events, Boorman approaches them with thoughtful reflection. She writes equally about her excitement, her doubts, and the personal toll of stewarding a once-in-a-generation athlete on the world’s biggest stage. The Rio Olympics chapters, in particular, strike a balance between awe and responsibility—capturing the surreal reality of watching Simone dominate while feeling the immense pressure to keep her physically safe, mentally grounded, and emotionally supported.
If the book has a limitation, it is that readers seeking explosive revelations will not find them here. Boorman is measured—not evasive, but mindful. Her priority is not to indict institutions or individuals; it is to tell her story with integrity. Some may wish for more direct critique of USA Gymnastics, but Boorman’s restraint ultimately fits the tone of the memoir: steady, empathetic, and rooted in the belief that coaching is an act of care.
The Balance succeeds as an intimate portrait of a coach learning, adapting, and ultimately redefining what support can look like in a sport long defined by control. For fans of Simone Biles, women’s sports, or athlete-centered coaching, this is essential reading—quiet, elegant, and profoundly human.
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(image created by Chat GPT)