Product Description

Gripping account by Richard Hammond of life before and after his terrifying high-speed car crash.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1756 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-20
• Released on: 2007-09-20
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 310 pages

Synopsis
Richard Hammond is one of our most in-demand and best-loved television presenters. On September 20, 2006, he suffered a serious brain injury following a high-speed car crash, and the nation held its breath. On the Edge is his compelling account of life before and after the accident and an honest description of his year of recovery, full of drama and incident. It is also, perhaps, his explanation of why, as a married man and father of two young daughters, he was prepared to risk all by strapping himself to the front of a jet engine with the power of eleven Formula One cars. A daredevil and a petrolhead long before his association with Top Gear, Richard tells the story of his life as an adrenalin junkie, from the small boy showing off with ridiculous stunts on his bicycle to the adolescent with a near-obsessive attraction to speed and the smell of petrol. After a series of jobs in local radio, he graduated to television and eventually to Top Gear, one of the world's most popular shows, upgrading his car with each step up the ladder. His insights into the personalities, the camaraderie and, of course, the stunts for which Top Gear has become famous make compulsive reading.It was whilst filming for Top Gear, driving a jet-powered dragster at speeds over 300mph, that a tyre burst and the car left the track and rolled over, burying him in the earth.

He was airlifted to hospital and hovered near death for several days. His wife Mindy tells the story of the anxious hours and days of watching and waiting until he finally emerged from his coma. In an extraordinarily powerful piece of writing, she and Richard then piece together the stages of his recovery as his shattered mind slowly reformed, leaving him sometimes lucid and plausible, sometimes confused and angry, and often exhausted. The final chapter recounts his return home and his triumphant reappearance in front of the cameras.

About the Author
Richard Hammond is internationally famous for co-presenting Top Gear over the last 4 years with Jeremy Clarkson; he also presented Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky 1, Should I Worry About...? on BBC 1 and Time Commanders on BBC 2. His Richard Hammond's 5 O'Clock Show was shown every weekday on ITV1 during January and February 2006, and he is a team captain on the BBC2 quiz show, Petrolheads. He writes a weekly column in The Daily Mirror. His crash whilst filming for Top Gear in September 2006 made him a household name.

Customer Reviews

Couldn't tell if it was interesting or not...
There may be an interesting story here, but I couldn't find it. This is perhaps the worst-written book I've ever (tried to) read in my life -- and that's saying something. I finally put it down after about 80 pages. The writing is hackneyed, cliche-ridden and completely predicable. It's breathless and self-important. Hammond's editor should be ashamed of himself (or herself). Stick to watching him on Top Gear.

Fanbloodytastic
I couldn't put it down, and was rather sad when I knew I was coming to the end. But still, iv never read an auto-biography, iv just never seen the interest, but this was far more than anything iv ever read. I was sad alot of the time because i could connect with alot of what Mindy said, but even though you know now hes alive and kicking and seems ok, the story of what he went through was incredible. My hat goes off to him.

Total Honesty
Having read this book for a second time in three days, I am stunned by the power and honesty in the writing of both Richard and Mindy. The first few chapters of the book, written by Richard, offer a valuable insight into a man who loves life, machines, speed, thrills and most importantly, Mindy and their two little girls.

Life takes a dramatic turn after the crash and Mindy's account of her bedside vigil with Richard is beautifully written, heart-wrenchingly honest, painful, funny and poignant, as she recounts every tiny step Richard makes from coma to recovery. As someone who has sat in that chair next to the hospital bed of a seriously ill loved-one, I identify completely with her metaphorical elastic band, pulling her back to Richard every time she ventured to the coffee machine in the hospital. Without doubt her love played a huge part in Richard's healing.

Richard also writes candidly about his slow, painful and frightening recovery. His brutal honesty of how his brain injury affected him is humbling, and only serves to remind me of how precious and vital our consciousness and cognitivity are. I had no idea how terrified and confused brain injured patients can be. I admire enormously the courage and determination shown by Richard, who with the constant love and support of Mindy and his family, managed to gradually claw himself back through recovery, and most importantly enjoy life once again as a husband dad, son, brother, friend, colleague.

Thank you to both of you - brilliant.