Waterski Girl Wonder: A Journey of Perseverance.

When I finished reading Waterski Girl Wonder, all I could say was "Wow!" Shellie Blum tells her own story from her childhood with an alcoholic father, to her rise to prominence in the sport of water skiing as a young teenager, and the tragic accident at Cypress Gardens, Florida, at that time the water skiing capital of the world, which ended her career. From the time she was a small child, Shellie was willing to compete with the best of them. The youngest in the family, she had two older brothers and a sister. After the death of her father, her mother held their family together and encouraged her youngest daughter in her competitive endeavors, whether water skiing or other sports that she loved growing up. Through it all, Shellie never lost her fighting spirit and hope for the future. She goes into great detail about the technicalities of the difficult water skiing maneuvers she learned, often performing ones that had previously been "reserved" for men skiers. I felt awed and inspired by her tenacity and willingness to try anything. It's not easy to tell the story of your own life -- the triumphs, family tragedies and bad mistakes that all of us make. Shellie Blum succeeds in telling her story without embarrassment or excuses. She is a true fighter who knows what she wants, including her delightful twins who make up her own family now. Waterski Girl Wonder is a book to entertain and inspire, even if your only sport is shooting pool, in which Shellie Blum is also a top performer.

A heartfelt story of adversity overcome! Shellie tells her story in a classy, yet page turning fashion. Looking for a story to inspire you to achieve all you ever dreamed, read this book!

Shellie Blum was born with a reason to hide from the world. She didn't do that. Instead, her life became the biggest adventure you can imagine. She was good at every sport she tried. She even broke some barriers others wouldn't have thought of. Her heart and soul didn't know the words- give up. Her journey was one of spectacular highs and lows. Loved this book. It's the most inspirational book I've read in some time. Well written with descriptions so vivid you'll feel the water splash you, this author gave us her all. This book is one every person who reads it will gain something from. Ms. Blum's honesty and pride can be felt throughout the book. It's refreshing to read a really honest book about someone's life. You'll be talking about this one for months and months. I shared it with my daughters and I noticed both of them walking with their head held just a bit higher than usual. I did find one issue. I'd like to have learned more about her life now. I understand it wasn't a focus of the book, but it would have rounded it out a bit. I gave this one 5 cheers out of 5 because if she can do it... so can I. ~Copy of book provided by author and I voluntarily reviewed it.