Unbreakable: An Autobiography

I started reading the book last night at around 12 and i could not help but finish the book in one go, till 6 in the morning. The most striking quality of this book is the sincerity and ease with which Mary Kom describes her remarkable journey, almost as if she is writing a fairy tale. The book hooks you on in the initial pages because of the description of the lives and struggles of people in Manipur. It is a fascinating insight into the lives of the people there, so distinct in its culture and methods, and one gets the essence of how much of a diverse country India is. Mary Kom then goes on to describe her various hurdles in such a matter of fact way, that it seems too good to be true. The struggles of her parents during childhood, the politics of sports administration, her romantic life with Onler, pregnancy and motherhood, the world championships, the Olympics, all are compacted into neat chapters in the book. What is evident in most of her struggles is the fierce will with which she deals with them, something that influences her description of her life's events in the book. The resulting breezy narrative therefore holds ones imagination as one moves from one event to the other while giving very little time to marvel at the fact that she actually pulled through. I expected that she would write more about the perspectives of multiculturalism and feminism that her success story brings in. But that is restricted to a few lines about how people from the North-East are discriminated based on their looks and not made to feel a part of the nation. She also mentions about how she would want to inspire the girls from various parts of the country. It is heartening to note that despite all her troubles and lack of recognition for so long, Mary is open to working with the Indian government and has already set up an academy in her native place. The issues of political turmoil in the state of Manipur is also restricted to a few pages about her father-in-law's assassination, a decision that shows how apolitical Mary has been with her dedicated pursuit in sports. All in all, a must read for anybody looking for some inspiration through the unbreakable soul of a great great champion. --Shreyas Rao Jan 19, 2014

Unbreakable is the autobiography of M.C . Mary Kom the best Indian boxer a fighter in true sense. How should I describe this book story of ceaseless struggle or strength or honesty? While going through the pages I felt ashamed. I felt ashamed of myself , my excuses , getting disturbed over trivial matters. Mary proudly introduced her father Apa was an uneducated landless labourer who found it hard to make ends meet . I stopped to think who is an educated person? In spite of all sort of hardships he was determined to give best education to his children. Mary said she was proud of her father. So are we. In her childhood Mary had All work and no play . She had to work in fields I would carry home the straw that was left over after harvesting. She would handle heavy farming tools, sacks of rice. She would carry water across long distance. She would help her mother in cooking, washing, gardening. She would accompany her father to bring fire woods. As a little girl she was also envious to see other children playing but she was an undemanding child . After the days work she would sit down on a mat with a smoky kerosene lamp to do her school homework. Looking back she only finds the positive aspect of her hard toil. Should I describe the book as a love story? A story of a wonderful relationship between Onler and I . Mary was telling I met Onler Kom, and though I didn`t know it then , it was a meeting that would change my life completely. Mary got Onler by her side always. She said People refer to Onler as Mary`s husband , but I know that behind Mary`s success there is Onler Unbreakable is the story of achievement and success. It tells us also about sorrow and shame. It tells about The other face of Manipur . Mary`s father- in -law was killed by unknown insurgents. The way people of her own country behave with the people of Manipurof which we should be ashamed . Mary Kom is the psynonym of struggle and success. --Sreya Ghose Aug 20, 2014

This is the first biography I've ever read, and am very motivated by this. I was very curious when boxing was introduced for the females in the London Olympics. And was very excited to see Mary contest in it. I always thought about the difficulties she might have been through to come to the ring. Despite having kids, she took the step and never gave up.. I did see the last bout, where Mary lost, but has won millions of hearts, winning a bronze.. Though we got 5 other medals.. this one by Mary was definitely different.. This book tells us all the hardships she went through, and how her ambition rose from getting a decent government job to getting a gold in the Olympics. --vennam anand Dec 22, 2013