Biographies Memoirs Sports

In early 2015, Roderick Toombs, aka Rowdy Roddy Piper, began researching his own autobiography with a trip through Western Canada. He was rediscovering his youth, a part of his life he never discussed during his sixty-one years, many spent as one of the greatest talents in the history of pro wrestling. Following his death due to a heart attack that July, two of his children took on the job of telling Roddy's story, separating fact from fiction in the extraordinary life of their father.

It takes a certain kind of person to do whatever is necessary to make a living as a mixed martial arts fighter. And it takes another kind of person to stand out from all the rest as both a wild man and a rock star. Chris Leben, otherwise known as "The Crippler", is that kind of person. Leben's reputation started when he appeared on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter, a reality show and competition where hopeful fighters live together and vie for a UFC contract and a path to greatness.

In Tales from the New Jersey Devils Locker Room, former New Jersey goalie Chico Resch and coauthor Mike Kerwick bring listeners along for a wild ride from the lean early seasons to the three Stanley Cup championships of this beloved team.

This true-life wilderness survival epic recounts 17-year-old Alex Messenger's near-lethal encounter with a grizzly bear during a canoe trip in the Canadian tundra. The story follows Alex and his five companions as they paddle north through harrowing rapids and stunning terrain. Twenty-nine days into the trip, while out hiking alone, Alex is attacked by a barren-ground grizzly. Left for dead, he wakes to find that his summer adventure has become a struggle to stay alive.

Roberto «Bob» Bissonnette, le marchand de bonheur. Décédé à l’âge de 35 ans dans un accident d’hélicoptère, le hockeyeur devenu vedette du rock a certes connu une vie trop courte, mais n’en a assurément gaspillé aucune seconde. La pédale au plancher, donnant son 110 % sur la glace, sur scène ou même autour d’un feu de camp, il aura été l’incarnation même de la maxime carpe diem, «saisir le jour».

One of the most inspirational comeback stories in professional sports. Aaron Volpatti was never supposed to play in the NHL. As an average, undersized youth hockey player, Aaron had to fight his way, literally, into competitive hockey. But in the early hours of April 20, 2005, he found himself in a very different fight–a fight for his life after a devastating burn injury.

This superbly narrated and insightful audiobook follows the paths of thirteen ravaged champions in solitary crafts such as cycling and running, bowling and boxing, hiking and golf. These men work at and master their sports, driven only by a burning need to prove themselves. Movingly detailed here are their painful journeys to grace, and their eventual realization that no victory brings lasting happiness. In short, here is the human experience, told in seconds and miles, scorecards and records.

In 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills, the diminutive 5-foot-9, 175-pound Steve Tasker was a huge contributor as the Bills strung together an unprecedented four consecutive Super Bowl appearances in the early 1990s. Along the way, Tasker earned seven invitations to the Pro Bowl, and during the National Football League’s 75th anniversary celebration, he was named the greatest special-teams player of all time.

He's baseball's biggest heartbreaker. I'm a recovering romantic...and his new trainer. Parker Knight is a smooth-talking pitcher with a smile for days and a roster of broken hearts behind him. Those are only a few reasons why a guy like him is never getting near my heart. After making a move to prove I deserve a place within my dad's baseball empire, the last thing on my mind is a playboy pitcher. I didn't know who he was when we randomly met off the field, and Parker certainly had no idea I'm the team owner's daughter. He thought I was going to be his next conquest.

Le plus grand entraîneur de tous les temps, entre autres de Manchester United, revient sur ses trente-huit années de management. Il analyse les décisions charnières qu'il a dû prendre pour en tirer de précieux enseignements et nous donner les clés de succès professionnels et personnels durables.

Geraint Thomas is one of Britain's most loved sports stars. He's won Olympic gold medals, finished first, second and third at the Tour de France, and stayed at the top of his sport for almost two decades as other riders and eras have come and gone. This is the story of his epic journey - from the streets of suburban Cardiff to the Champs-Elysees in Paris, from the mountains of the Alps to the cobbles of northern Europe. The races, the rivals, the triumphs and the magical moments none of us will ever forget.

He’s been a fixture in professional wrestling for five decades. He helped introduce a hardcore wrestling style that you see in the WWE and Japan today. He’s made his mark in Hollywood. He’s Terry Funk, and this is his story. In this captivating look at the life of a living legend, Funk opens up about growing up in a wrestling family, working with various entertainment companies (including the ECW, WWE, and WWF), and so much more.

In his 17 years as a Formula 1 driver, Jenson Button has picked up a thing or two about how to do the job properly. Sure, you need to be able to drive a car fast - and Jenson is on hand to pass on a few tricks of the trade here - but you also need to know the real rules for making it to the top. Like, how to tell a multiple F1 champion they need to check their blind spot. What the difference is between a helmet and a hat, and indeed a 'helmet-hat'. How to practise your champagne spray ahead of the big day.

When her horse bucked her off at a rodeo, professional barrel racer Marci Powell shattered her neck and back in two places — injuries so severe doctors warned she might never walk again, let alone ride. But Marci’s story didn’t end in that arena. Through pain, fear, and the silent battles of PTSD, she learned that standing again isn’t about perfection — it’s about persistence. This book is for anyone who’s been broken — by trauma, by loss, by life itself — and is trying to find their way back.

On Valentine's day 2004, Marco Pantani was found dead in a cheap hotel. It defied belief: Pantani, having won the rare double of the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in 1998, was regarded as the only cyclist capable of challenging Lance Armstrong's dominance. Only later did it emerge that Pantani had been addicted to cocaine since 1999. Drawing on his personal encounters with Pantani, as well as exclusive access to his psychoanalysts, and interviews with his family and friends, Matt Rendell has produced the definitive account of an iconic sporting figure.

It’s been 85 years since Brian McFarlane first laced a pair of skates and tested the black ice on a tiny pond. And then he discovered the joy of hockey. Ultimately, there would be grade school hockey, high school hockey, junior hockey, college hockey, and, miraculously, two decades with the NHL Oldtimers anchoring his life. Now, in this revealing autobiography, he remembers it all. For Brian McFarlane, it has been a helluva life in hockey.

After equalling Michael Schumacher's record of seven world titles, and overtaking him as having the most race wins, pole positions and podium finishes, Sir Lewis Hamilton became the most successful racing driver of all time—and the most dominant and successful Briton ever to drive in Formula 1. In this insightful biography, bestselling sports author Frank Worrall traces the slipstream of Hamilton's incredible career as the fastest driver on the planet.

An incredible story of Johnny Agar, born with cerebral palsy and whom doctors thought would never walk, overcoming the odds to compete in Ironman triathlons. Featured on ESPN, NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, and other media outlets, Johnny delivers a moving memoir that is a testament to the power of family, faith, and extraordinary courage.

The Endurance Artist is an all-access pass to the world’s most grueling races and the mastermind behind them. Gary Cantrell, better known by the nom de guerre Lazarus Lake, has been described as a “hillbilly genius” and the “Leonardo di Vinci of pain.” His Barkley Marathons is considered the most difficult ultramarathon ever devised, a fight club in the wilderness run in secret. With books hidden in the woods, a cigarette-start, and elevation gain that amounts to summiting Mount Everest twice, the Barkley defies convention.

Nitro is a story about much more than WCW and the Monday Night Wars. It is a story of an era, a time in which the media and cultural landscape precipitated - and later supported - pro wrestling's mainstream popularity. It is a story of how a company made in the image of an intuitively brilliant risk-taker betrayed its original promise. It is a story of how a handful of men, each struggling with their own limitations, facilitated a public obsession that changed television forever.