Why You'll Love This
Evel Knievel was either the bravest man in America or the most reckless — Montville makes a compelling case that he was somehow both at once.
- Great if you want: a deep dive into 1970s American spectacle and myth-making
- The experience: brisk and entertaining, with a carnival energy that suits its subject
- The writing: Montville blends sports journalism sharpness with genuine biographical depth
- Skip if: you want hagiography — Montville doesn't flinch from Knievel's uglier side
About This Book
Robert Craig Knievel wanted to fly. What he actually became was far more complicated—a man who sold danger like a carnival barker, broke nearly every bone in his body, and convinced millions of Americans that crashing spectacularly was its own kind of triumph. Leigh Montville's biography of Evel Knievel doesn't just chronicle the jumps and the wipeouts; it digs into the contradictions of a man who was simultaneously a genuine daredevil and a tireless self-promoter, a patriotic symbol and a deeply flawed human being. The result is a portrait of 1970s America as much as it is a portrait of one man—an era when spectacle and swagger passed for heroism, and audiences couldn't look away.
Montville brings the same propulsive, street-level energy to his prose that Knievel brought to his motorcycle ramp. The writing moves fast but never sacrifices texture, and Montville has a gift for grounding outlandish stories in the specific, unglamorous details that make them believable. He keeps the tone knowing without turning cynical, letting readers feel the genuine excitement of the era while never losing sight of the man behind the leathers. It's biography as American myth-busting—affectionate, clear-eyed, and consistently entertaining.