Open: An Autobiography – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Open: An Autobiography

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

book2009

72%

WISE Score

4.7

Amazon

Andre Agassi's unflinching memoir: tennis legend, yes, but also a story of abuse, rebellion, meth, and finding your own path.

Open: An Autobiography

book

2009

72%

WISE Score

4.7

Amazon

Andre Agassi's unflinching memoir: tennis legend, yes, but also a story of abuse, rebellion, meth, and finding your own path.

4.7

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4.7

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Screenwise Verdict

Andre Agassi's Open is one of the best sports memoirs ever written, but calling it a 'sports book' undersells it. This is a searing, literary examination of identity, trauma, and what it costs to be great at something you never chose.

The writing is gorgeous. The honesty is uncomfortable. Agassi doesn't sugarcoat his father's abuse, his own drug use, or the years he spent hating the sport that made him famous. For mature readers, that rawness is the point—it's a book about reclaiming your life from other people's expectations.

But it's not for kids. The content is heavy, the themes are adult, and the emotional weight is real. If you've got a high schooler who loves sports or is wrestling with pressure and identity, this could be transformative—just read it first and be ready to talk. For adults, it's a must-read. For younger kids, wait a few years.

Age Fit

This is a book for mature teens (15+) and adults. The themes—parental abuse, substance use, mental health—require emotional maturity and ideally a parent or mentor to discuss them with. Younger readers will find the content too intense and the introspection too sophisticated.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

Agassi's memoir is brutally honest about an emotionally abusive upbringing, the psychological toll of elite sports, and his own struggles with identity and mental health. While the candor is valuable, the book details his father's relentless, often cruel training methods, intense family dysfunction, and the emotional damage that resulted. This isn't a feel-good sports story—it's a raw examination of pain, pressure, and eventual redemption. The tone is mature and heavy, not emotionally safe for younger readers, though it does model eventual self-awareness and growth.

Imaginative

For a memoir, this is remarkably literary and creative. Co-written with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist J.R. Moehringer, the prose is vivid and introspective, using tennis as a lens to explore identity, freedom, and purpose. Agassi's ability to articulate his internal world—his hatred of the sport he excelled at, his search for meaning beyond fame—invites readers to think deeply about their own motivations and constraints. It's not imaginative in a fantasy sense, but it's intellectually and emotionally expansive.

Safe

The book includes explicit discussions of parental abuse (physical and emotional), crystal meth use (including how Agassi lied to the ATP about a failed drug test), marital dysfunction, and intense mental health struggles. These are not brief mentions—they're central to the narrative. For a mature teen or adult, these elements are contextualized as cautionary and reflective, but for younger readers they could be disturbing or triggering. The language is frank, and the emotional content is heavy throughout.

Enriching

This is where the book shines. Agassi's story is a masterclass in resilience, self-discovery, and the dangers of living someone else's dream. It offers profound insights into the cost of fame, the importance of autonomy, and the redemptive power of purpose (his later philanthropy and education work). For mature readers, it's a conversation about what success really means, how to recover from trauma, and why finding your own 'why' matters. The writing is excellent, and the lessons are deeply meaningful—just not for kids.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Beautifully written—co-authored with Pulitzer winner J.R. Moehringer, this reads like literary fiction, not a typical sports bio
Radically honest about the dark side of elite sports: parental pressure, identity crisis, and what happens when you hate the thing you're famous for
Offers profound lessons on resilience, autonomy, and the importance of finding purpose beyond external validation
Agassi's later turn to education philanthropy shows how trauma can be transformed into meaningful work
High Amazon rating (4.7/5) reflects its emotional impact and quality

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What to Watch For

Heavy content: detailed accounts of emotional and physical abuse from Agassi's father, including forced training regimens and psychological manipulation
Drug use confession: Agassi describes using crystal meth and lying to the ATP about a failed test—this is candid and central to the story
Marital dysfunction and mental health struggles are explored in depth; this is not light reading
Best for mature teens (15+) or adults who can contextualize and discuss the material; not appropriate for younger kids

Conversation Starters

"Agassi says he hated tennis for much of his career. Can you imagine being world-class at something you don't love? What would that feel like?"
"His dad pushed him relentlessly, sometimes cruelly. Where's the line between supportive parenting and living vicariously through your kid?"
"Agassi lied about his drug use to protect his career. Do you think he made the right call? What would you have done?"
"He found meaning later through his education foundation. How do people turn pain into purpose?"
"If you could be famous for something you didn't care about, or anonymous doing what you love, which would you pick?"

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