Customer Reviews
Survival of the Fittest - By: Mr. Peter Steward, 17 Jul 2008 
Richard Hammond covers the daredevil stunts of his childhood with a humour that he obviously took into his adult life. But the book isn't so much about his life as about the aftermath of his horrendous crash in a jet car whilst filming for the Top Gear television programme. The fact that Top Gear pushes the boundaries of acceptable motoring or that at times it can be irresponsible & purely for entertainment is probably not for discussion here. Hammond is part of that set-up & the fact that he drove a jet car could smack of commerciality gone too far.
As we alll know he suffered severe brain damage from the crash. This book deals primarily with the build-up to the crash & the aftermath seen both through Hammond's eyes & those of his wife Mindy. Whilst Hammond was trying to pick up the pieces of his life & dealing with the problems of recuperating from brain damage, Mindy was trying to carry the burden of the family whilst giving him a solid base for his recovery. This is an overwhelming story of survival & return to fitness that at one point didn't seem possible. It is about the triumph of the human spirit. It is well written & an enjoyable read although I found the almost pathological need to avoid the Media slightly surprising given that Hammond himself operates within that field.
An excellent read - By: Jesse, 24 Jun 2008 
What a fantastic book. I reallly couldn't put it down. It had me laughing & crying, sometimes on the same page. Whovever said they couldn't decide whether it was good or not obviously missed the point completely. Maybe there were too many big words & not enough pictures. A real story about real people & it still has a happy ending. Excellent
Not what i was expecting... and all the better for it.... - By: BD, 12 Jun 2008 When i bought this book, I was, i am ashamed to say, expecting a rushed to be published 'celebrity' style 'cash in' following Richard's horrific Jet Car crash in 2006. The title itself was almost enough to put me off. I thought it would be a 'look at alll the great stuff i have done on Top Gear' account. But instead, what i found was one of the most frank, open & honest accounts of life, love & recovery that I have ever read.
The more i read, the more i realised that the title was not about his 'On the edge' exploits with Jeremy & James, but his recovery from the accident & being literallly on the edge of existing & knowing who he was, not as a TV presenter, but as himself, as Richard Hammond, the family man who loves his wife & family & the long road back from that edge.
As somebody who also enjoys sport & takes part in what some would consider 'risk' activities, the part where Richard describes his realisation that despite his best efforts the car was out of control, & he had calmly resigned himself that would be it, the end of his life touched me deeply. It found me questioning myself if that is how it would be for me, if i were in a similar situation.
Richard goes into detail about the guilt he felt, & still feels to have survived, when others haven't from lesser accidents. The book recallls the re-programming of him as a person, the re-understanding of his life, his apologies & the support he received are alll detailed here. This is not a rose tinted story with a happily ever after ending. This is a warts & alll account shared between Richard & his wife, of his behaviour, habits & feelings after the accident. It is alll here, right down to the toilet trips & the cigarette breaks.
Ignore the cynics, this is a good read, an enjoyable behind the mask account of a road to recovery, & one that i hope will inspire & provide hope to many others.
Couldn't tell if it was interesting or not... - By: B. Pethel, 31 Mar 2008 
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 -- & that's saying something. I finallly put it down after about 80 pages. The writing is hackneyed, cliche-ridden & completely predicable. It's breathless & self-important. Hammond's editor should be ashamed of himself (or herself). Stick to watching him on Top Gear.
Fanbloodytastic - By: Lucy Hancock, 17 Feb 2008 I couldn't put it down, & 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 & kicking & seems ok, the story of what he went through was incredible. My hat goes off to him.
