Overview

This riveting new biography from a New York Times -bestselling author pulls back the red, white, and blue cape on a cultural icon--and reveals the unknown, complex, and controversial man known to millions as Evel Knievel.

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9780767930529

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Reviews

An Esquire Best Book of the YearA Boston Globe Best Sports Book of the Year Slick, pulpy, eye-filling, exhaust-belching. . . . Smart, rowdy fun. . . . [Montville writes] as if pulling a wheelie across every page. . . . Evel is never dull. The New York Times [Evel] goes beyond the action-figure image, painting Knievel in all his contradictions. . . . In Montville s capable hands, Knievel soars again in all his profane, self-deluded glory. Sports Illustrated In the late 1960s and early 1970s . . . the coolest man on earth was Evel Knievel. . . . Montville brings him vividly back in an outlandishly entertaining new biography. New York Post Engrossing. . . . A wild ride on the back of Knievel s cycle. Los Angeles Times Awesome. . . . A rollicking good tale. . . . Montville nails it just right. The Hollywood Reporter If Knievel lived as if his pants were on fire, then his biographer writes like a house on fire. . . . In describing the complex, contradictory stuntman s battles with the demons that would ultimately destroy him, [Montville] pulls out all the stops. The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg) The best biographies not only tell you what people did, they capture their personalities as well, making readers feel as if they are sitting down at a long, well-lubricated dinner with the subject. Mark Twain: A Life by Ron Powers is one such bio, and another is Leigh Montville's brilliant recent biography of Evel Knievel: Evel. Jim Caple, ESPN.com Fresh and exciting. . . . A fast-paced thrill ride through a life of success, sex and excess that is sure to leave you winded. The Montana Standard Montville has been doing big time things with his clever writing mind and his flying keyboard fingers for decades. . . . The job he did on [Evel] tops the others, good as they are. The outrageousness of his subject and Montville's matchless ability to entertain and report make it so. Hartford Courant Greatly entertaining. . . . A biography as sensationalist and superior as the daredevil himself. Kirkus Reviews An Esquire Best Book of the YearA Boston Globe Best Sports Book of the Year Slick, pulpy, eye-filling, exhaust-belching. . . . Smart, rowdy fun. . . . [Montville writes] as if pulling a wheelie across every page. . . . Evel is never dull. -- The New York Times [ Evel ] goes beyond the action-figure image, painting Knievel in all his contradictions. . . . In Montville's capable hands, Knievel soars again in all his profane, self-deluded glory. -- Sports Illustrated In the late 1960s and early 1970s . . . the coolest man on earth was Evel Knievel. . . . Montville brings him vividly back in an outlandishly entertaining new biography. -- New York Post Engrossing. . . . A wild ride on the back of Knievel's cycle. -- Los Angeles Times Awesome. . . . A rollicking good tale. . . . Montville nails it just right. -- The Hollywood Reporter If Knievel lived 'as if his pants were on fire, ' then his biographer writes like a house on fire. . . . In describing the complex, contradictory stuntman's battles with the demons that would ultimately destroy him, [Montville] pulls out all the stops. -- The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg) The best biographies not only tell you what people did, they capture their personalities as well, making readers feel as if they are sitting down at a long, well-lubricated dinner with the subject. Mark Twain: A Life by Ron Powers is one such bio, and another is Leigh Montville's brilliant recent biography of Evel Knievel: Evel. --Jim Caple, ESPN.com Fresh and exciting. . . . A fast-paced thrill ride through a life of success, sex and excess that is sure to leave you winded. -- The Montana Standard Montville has been doing big time things with his clever writing mind and his flying keyboard fingers for decades. . . . The job he did on [ Evel ] tops the others, good as they are. The outrageousness of his subject and Mon [EVEL] goes beyond the action-figure image, painting Knievel in all his contradictions....Now, in Montville's capable hands, Knievel soars again in all his profane, self-deluded glory. - Sports Illustrated In the late 1960s and early 1970s...the coolest man on earth was Evel Knievel....Leigh Montville brings him vividly back in an outlandishly entertaining new biography. New York Post If Knievel lived 'as if his pants were on fire, ' then his biographer writes like a house on fire...in describing the complex, contradictory stuntman's battles with the demons that would ultimately destroy him, [Montville] pulls out all the stops. - The Free Lance-Star In Evel [Leigh Montville] writes in a florid high style, as if pulling a wheelie across every page. This can be smart, rowdy fun. Mr. Montville tacks the young Knievel to the wall, wonderfully....He catches the way the wingspans of Knievel's jacket collars were the 'same as a good-size pterodactyl... Evel is never dull. - New York Times If you were a young boy, like I was, in the summer of 1974, you talked about two things: Evel Knievel...and Hank Aaron...I hadn't thought much about Evel Knievel in the intervening 35 years until I picked up Leigh Montville's awesome new biography...you'll love Montville's rollicking good tale--told with an Irishman's wink and a nod--of how Knievel blazed across the American consciousness in the late 60's and early 70s....Montville nails it just right. -- The Hollywood Reporter Montville fully imparts that sense of danger as well as Knievel's mixture of singularly unpleasant personalities--thief, drunkard, brawler, extortionist, womanizer, snake-oil salesman, all-purpose con man--that somehow only enhance the legend. In the end, readers probably will not love or even like Knievel, but they'll know the seamier side of the American dream that much better. Booklist Bestselling author and veteran sports columnist Montvil

An Esquire Best Book of the Year A Boston Globe Best Sports Book of the Year Slick, pulpy, eye-filling, exhaust-belching. . . . Smart, rowdy fun. . . . [Montville writes] as if pulling a wheelie across every page. . . . Evel is never dull. --The New York Times [Evel] goes beyond the action-figure image, painting Knievel in all his contradictions. . . . In Montville's capable hands, Knievel soars again in all his profane, self-deluded glory. --Sports Illustrated In the late 1960s and early 1970s . . . the coolest man on earth was Evel Knievel. . . . Montville brings him vividly back in an outlandishly entertaining new biography. --New York Post Engrossing. . . . A wild ride on the back of Knievel's cycle. --Los Angeles Times Awesome. . . . A rollicking good tale. . . . Montville nails it just right. --The Hollywood Reporter If Knievel lived 'as if his pants were on fire, ' then his biographer writes like a house on fire. . . . In describing the complex, contradictory stuntman's battles with the demons that would ultimately destroy him, [Montville] pulls out all the stops. --The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg) The best biographies not only tell you what people did, they capture their personalities as well, making readers feel as if they are sitting down at a long, well-lubricated dinner with the subject. Mark Twain: A Life by Ron Powers is one such bio, and another is Leigh Montville's brilliant recent biography of Evel Knievel: Evel. --Jim Caple, ESPN.com Fresh and exciting. . . . A fast-paced thrill ride through a life of success, sex and excess that is sure to leave you winded. --The Montana Standard Montville has been doing big time things with his clever writing mind and his flying keyboard fingers for decades. . . . The job he did on [Evel] tops the others, good as they are. The outrageousness of his subject and Montville's matchless ability to entertain and report make it so. --Hartford Courant Greatly entertaining. . . . A biography as sensationalist and superior as the daredevil himself. --Kirkus Reviews

[EVEL] goes beyond the action-figure image, painting Knievel in all his contradictions....Now, in Montville's capable hands, Knievel soars again in all his profane, self-deluded glory. - Sports Illustrated <br> In the late 1960s and early 1970s...the coolest man on earth was Evel Knievel....Leigh Montville brings him vividly back in an outlandishly entertaining new biography. New York Post <br> If Knievel lived 'as if his pants were on fire, ' then his biographer writes like a house on fire...in describing the complex, contradictory stuntman's battles with the demons that would ultimately destroy him, [Montville] pulls out all the stops. - The Free Lance-Star <br> <br> In Evel [Leigh Montville] writes in a florid high style, as if pulling a wheelie across every page. This can be smart, rowdy fun. Mr. Montville tacks the young Knievel to the wall, wonderfully....He catches the way the wingspans of Knievel's jacket collars were the 'same as a good-size pterodactyl... Eve

Author Information

Three-time New York Times bestselling author Leigh Montville is a former columnist at the Boston Globe and former senior writer at Sports Illustrated. He is the author of The Mysterious Montague, The Big Bam, Ted Williams, At the Altar of Speed, Manute, and Why Not Us? He lives in Boston.

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