Bhallin' with Books: Adam Rippon's 'Beautiful on the Outside'

I received the most wonderful surprise last week. After arriving at the Wilbur Theatre to coverAdam Rippon’s book talk on his new memoir “Beautiful on the Outside” (2019) for the Daily, I walked through the extravagant doors to see a table covered with hardcover copies of his memoir on it. A free book! (Technically not free but included with the price of the ticket).

This gift has continued to give, and I immediately started reading it while waiting for Rippon to take the stage. I had to reread the first line three or four times, “The first time I went ice skating I absolutely fucking hated it.” It shockingly and hilariously sets the tone he continues throughout his memoir right from the beginning.

The book is fast-paced and moves constantly forward. It rings true to how Rippon lives his life and how he talked during the event: he never slows down. The reader gets to know him, whether they want to or not. He tells his story with ease. Rippon had a very successful skating career, becoming the first openly gay American athlete to win a medal in the Winter Olympics in 2018. He is an inspiration to so many other athletes and people in general.

It is not skillfully or poetically written by an experienced author, but that is not what you’re expecting either. Unlike the other books I have been reading for this column, this book did not put me in awe of the way language can be used. It is conversational, which is a welcomed change in style.

Rippon is unashamedly unapologetic in his memoir. Though I admire him for this, I also think that he doesn’t care what lines he crosses. Towards the middle of the memoir Rippon jokes about the first man he had sex with giving him herpes. Getting an STI from a partner is a serious thing. It changes people’s lives in an instant and can be extremely difficult. Joking about getting an STI from a partner brings nothing to his narrative other than a joke.

Understanding that many comedians use these types of lines to create humor, perhaps I should let him off the hook for this. However, Rippon is a retired U.S. Olympian and I read his memoir through that lens. My attitude towards him and the book in general lessened significantly after a few of these instances and it actually made this column harder to write.

In many parts of his memoir you are laughing, and it is extremely entertaining. Problematic areas aside, it is completely and utterly Rippon’s voice. However, it is important to not just consume every book you read blindly. I do think that Rippon has an important story and I am glad he tells it, but I wish he was more thoughtful about the potential harm he could be doing with some of his attempts to be humorous.