Overview

From ""New York Times ""bestselling author Leigh Montville, this riveting and definitive new biography pulls back the red, white, and blue cape on a cultural icon--and reveals the unknown, complex, and controversial man known to millions around the world as Evel Knievel. Evel Knievel was a high-flying daredevil, the father of extreme sports, the personification of excitement and dan-ger and showmanship . . . and in the 1970s Knievel repre-sented a unique slice of American culture and patriotism. His jump over the fountains at Caesar's Palace led to a crash unlike anything ever seen on television, and his attempt to rocket over Snake River Canyon in Idaho was something only P. T. Barnum could have orchestrated. The dazzling motorcycles and red-white-and-blue outfits became an integral part of an American decade. Knievel looked like Elvis . . . but on any given Saturday afternoon millions tuned in to the small screen to see this real-life action hero tempt death. But behind the flash and the frenzy, who was the man? Bestselling author Leigh Montville masterfully explores the life of the complicated man from the small town of Butte, Montana. He delves into Knievel's amazing place in pop culture, as well as his notorious dark side--and his complex and often contradictory relationships with his image, the media, his own family, and his many demons. Evel Knievel's story is an all-American saga, and one that is largely untold. Leigh Montville once again delivers a definitive biography of a one-of-a-kind sports legend.

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9780385527453

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Acclaim for Leigh Montville <br> [ Ted Williams is] the complete package--a triumph, unreservedly the best biography of this larger-than-life American. <br>-- Boston Globe <br> It is unlikely that any reader could view Ted Williams as just a ballplayer ever again. <br>-- New York Times Book Review <br> [ At the Altar of Speed is]...both a tribute and a candid look at [Dale] Earnhardt. [Montville] has succeeded wonderfully. <br>-- San Antonio Express <br> Montville's solid reporting is augmented by a whimsical style that weaves Earnhardt's life, racing career, business ventures, and impact on racing fans into a rich tapestry of racing. The book delivers. <br>-- Times Daily <br> [A] vivid, intimate account. Montville's unique voice...makes old yarns seem new. <br>-- Sports Illustrated <br> Montville is a wonderful storyteller and Ruth's story, from Baltimore street urchin to international celebrity is indisputably amazing...a fascinating tale, alternately happy

[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> Bestselling author and veteran sports columnist Montville ( The Mysterious Montague: A True Tale of Hollywood, Golf, and Armed Robbery, 2008, etc.) points to the first biography of flamboyant risk-taker Robert Craig Knievel (1938-2007) as a cheaply commissioned, cockeyed screenplay (George Hamilton starred, angling for a career revival) based on a collection of tall tales designed by the man himself to make people perk up and pay attention. It was 1971, and while the film critically tanked, the publicity skyrocketed Knievel's his popularity. Montville's version ably describesh

Acclaim for Evel: The High-Flying Life of Evel Knievel: American Showman, Daredevil, and Legend by Leigh Montville <br> Inside the life and entertainment career of one of America's most daring showman, who lived as if his pants were on fire. <br>Bestselling author and veteran sports columnist Montville ( The Mysterious Montague: A True Tale of Hollywood, Golf, and Armed Robbery, 2008, etc.) points to the first biography of flamboyant risk-taker Robert Craig Knievel (1938-2007) as a cheaply commissioned, cockeyed screenplay (George Hamilton starred, angling for a career revival) based on a collection of tall tales designed by the man himself to make people perk up and pay attention. It was 1971, and while the film critically tanked, the publicity skyrocketed Knievel's his popularity. Montville's version ably describes his childhood raised by his grandparents in depression-era Butte, Mont., and then as a young, street-educated loner and general troublemaker. Greatly entert

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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