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Engage: The Fall and Rise of Matt Hampson
The shocking, controversial, and moving story of Matt Hampson, the rugby player who dislocated his neck and was paralyzed in an England training session "Engage!" was the last word Matt Hampson heard before dislocating his neck while in rugby training with other young England hopefuls. On a cold, gray day in 2005, the cream of the young English rugby crop gathered at a Northampton training ground. Matt Hampson, "Hambo" to his mates, was one of them. His skill, conviction, and dedication had brought him to the cusp of realizing his dream of playing professionally, in an England U21 team that included Olly Morgan, Toby Flood, Ben Foden, and James Haskell. But as the two sets of forwards engaged for a scrum on the training field, the scrum collapsed and Matt, who played tight-head prop, took the full force of two opposing sides. In that moment his life changed forever. Paul Kimmage went to visit Matt as he recuperated, and wrote an award-winning piece on him for the Sunday Times . They struck up a friendship which led to this spectacular book—where Paul tells Matt's whole story, in all its intimate detail. From the build-up to the dreadful day, to Matt's recuperation, to his struggle to adjust back to normal life, this is a story of terrible sadness yet unadorned triumph and joy, of anger yet of reconciliation and peace—and of a boy who became a man.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published August 12, 2011
16 people are currently reading
142 people want to read
About the author
Paul Kimmage
8 books26 followersPaul Kimmage is an Irish sports journalist who, until his departure in early 2012, wrote for the Sunday Times newspaper in the United Kingdom. He is a former professional road bicycle racer. Kimmage was born into a cycling family. [Wikipedia]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
July 26, 2012
A confession. When I picked this book up in Waterstones, I assumed it was a straightforward, ghost-written autobiography. I knew all about Matt Hampson's awful injury and, while I have little interest in rugby, I thought his story would be compelling. But I'd been impulsive and missed something crucial - the fact that the author was Paul Kimmage. Had I spotted that up front, I'd never have gone near it.
Kimmage, you see, is a mystifyingly garlanded sports journalist (and former pro cyclist) who has been responsible for any number of criminally appalling features in the Sunday Times over recent years. His name sets off my quality alarm which ensures I always give him the swerve. Kimmage is pathologically incapable of simply telling a story. His gimmicky, tricksy prose, his elevation of self above his subject and his agonising quest for quirkiness bespeak only his pathetic self-indulgence and preening ego.
But, having spent my eight quid and cycled all the way home with the book bouncing around in my bag - giving it some dog-ears in the process - I decided to grit my teeth and dive in. What was the worst that could happen? I wanted to know more about Hampson and hoped I might find some interesting kernels amongst all the cretinous Kimmagery.
So...here's what Engage holds for the intrepid reader: imagined courtroom scenes, set up like film scripts, with stage direction, dialogue and crap like 'FADE' at the end; intolerable repetition in an effort to wax dramatic (eg why me, why me, why me? and whoosh, whoosh, whoosh - pages of this stuff); lazy cliches which Kimmage mistakes for resounding profundity ('it wasn't supposed to be like this'); interminable verbatim correspondence between Hampson's mother and the RFU concerning a dispute that could have been condensed into half a page; useless, lazy quotes from more gifted writers. And there's so much less to enjoy.
We learn very little about Hampson amongst all this detritus, which seems a shame as there are hints that this somewhat selfish, unlikeable young man has been humanised by his horrendous predicament. This bears further, serious analysis, not Kimmagery. His mother, Ann, comes across as bitter, virtually blaming the somewhat unsympathetic RFU for her son's injury (which happened during an England training session) when it seems to me that he chose to play rugby, loved it, knew the risks and accepted that accidents, however appalling, happen. I don't believe Ann is that one dimensional, her bitterness an understandable product of the heart-breaking plight of her crippled son. Again, I'd like to have found out more about her, and Hampson's father, but Kimmage can only see things through his narrow, warped little lens.
In the hands of Hugh McIlvanney or Matt Dickinson or Matthew Syed, intelligent, perspicacious writers who believe the subject and the story are more important than themselves, Hampson's story would doubtless have been irresistibly gripping and moving. In Kimmage's cloven hands, it's a trial. My own stupid fault - I should've read the cover properly.
Kimmage, you see, is a mystifyingly garlanded sports journalist (and former pro cyclist) who has been responsible for any number of criminally appalling features in the Sunday Times over recent years. His name sets off my quality alarm which ensures I always give him the swerve. Kimmage is pathologically incapable of simply telling a story. His gimmicky, tricksy prose, his elevation of self above his subject and his agonising quest for quirkiness bespeak only his pathetic self-indulgence and preening ego.
But, having spent my eight quid and cycled all the way home with the book bouncing around in my bag - giving it some dog-ears in the process - I decided to grit my teeth and dive in. What was the worst that could happen? I wanted to know more about Hampson and hoped I might find some interesting kernels amongst all the cretinous Kimmagery.
So...here's what Engage holds for the intrepid reader: imagined courtroom scenes, set up like film scripts, with stage direction, dialogue and crap like 'FADE' at the end; intolerable repetition in an effort to wax dramatic (eg why me, why me, why me? and whoosh, whoosh, whoosh - pages of this stuff); lazy cliches which Kimmage mistakes for resounding profundity ('it wasn't supposed to be like this'); interminable verbatim correspondence between Hampson's mother and the RFU concerning a dispute that could have been condensed into half a page; useless, lazy quotes from more gifted writers. And there's so much less to enjoy.
We learn very little about Hampson amongst all this detritus, which seems a shame as there are hints that this somewhat selfish, unlikeable young man has been humanised by his horrendous predicament. This bears further, serious analysis, not Kimmagery. His mother, Ann, comes across as bitter, virtually blaming the somewhat unsympathetic RFU for her son's injury (which happened during an England training session) when it seems to me that he chose to play rugby, loved it, knew the risks and accepted that accidents, however appalling, happen. I don't believe Ann is that one dimensional, her bitterness an understandable product of the heart-breaking plight of her crippled son. Again, I'd like to have found out more about her, and Hampson's father, but Kimmage can only see things through his narrow, warped little lens.
In the hands of Hugh McIlvanney or Matt Dickinson or Matthew Syed, intelligent, perspicacious writers who believe the subject and the story are more important than themselves, Hampson's story would doubtless have been irresistibly gripping and moving. In Kimmage's cloven hands, it's a trial. My own stupid fault - I should've read the cover properly.
December 26, 2019
This is a remarkably inspirational book.
As someone who enjoys watching rugby I was eager to read the full story of Matt Hampson and the catastrophic injury that changed his life in a second.
Matt and Paul have brought us a book which is brutally honest throughout and extremely well written. We are given an insight into the struggles Matt, and those around him, have dealt with since that awful day. This book speaks of the human condition, not just the issue of tetraplegia. It puts life into perspective and makes you think twice before moaning about the trivial things in day-to-day living. Paul Kimmage is an exceptionally gifted writer. This book will come to mind long after you have finished reading it. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys watching or playing rugby. Although it is important to remember that whist many injuries can occur during a game of rugby it is very rare that such a life-changing injury happens.
Review on www.momobookdiary.com
As someone who enjoys watching rugby I was eager to read the full story of Matt Hampson and the catastrophic injury that changed his life in a second.
Matt and Paul have brought us a book which is brutally honest throughout and extremely well written. We are given an insight into the struggles Matt, and those around him, have dealt with since that awful day. This book speaks of the human condition, not just the issue of tetraplegia. It puts life into perspective and makes you think twice before moaning about the trivial things in day-to-day living. Paul Kimmage is an exceptionally gifted writer. This book will come to mind long after you have finished reading it. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys watching or playing rugby. Although it is important to remember that whist many injuries can occur during a game of rugby it is very rare that such a life-changing injury happens.
Review on www.momobookdiary.com
October 27, 2015
Finished this today the version I read was 395 not the 200+ goodreads suggests.
Thoroughly enjoyed the book, such a tragic story but such a great read. Whether that's Hampson's sense of humor or Kimmage's writing style I don't know but I liked it.
I didn't know too much about Hampson, I knew who he was and I heard about his injury at the time but haven't paid much attention to it until my friend lent me the book (a few years ago now) and I finally picked it off the shelf a little over a week ago.
Must say I was gripped by the book and really looked forward to picking it up everyday. As a rugby player myself I found this fascinating and distressing at the same time, I can't imagine how I'd cope in the situation and Matt is a credit to himself and his family.
I'd recommend this to anyone, not just rugby fans but everyone.
Thoroughly enjoyed the book, such a tragic story but such a great read. Whether that's Hampson's sense of humor or Kimmage's writing style I don't know but I liked it.
I didn't know too much about Hampson, I knew who he was and I heard about his injury at the time but haven't paid much attention to it until my friend lent me the book (a few years ago now) and I finally picked it off the shelf a little over a week ago.
Must say I was gripped by the book and really looked forward to picking it up everyday. As a rugby player myself I found this fascinating and distressing at the same time, I can't imagine how I'd cope in the situation and Matt is a credit to himself and his family.
I'd recommend this to anyone, not just rugby fans but everyone.
February 2, 2021
The story certainly goes under your skin and you don't watch any scrum without cringing for a long time after. Feels brutally honest.
But the way it's told is at times a bit confusing and I'm really not sure about the "theatre play style".
But the way it's told is at times a bit confusing and I'm really not sure about the "theatre play style".
November 13, 2019
I read Melanie Reid's account of her mostly paralysed life earlier this year, and I read Christopher Reeve's "Still Me" a while ago too. I think I find that these books help to put life in perspective. Worried about Brexit? Trump? Global warming? Seriously, get a grip. You have such a lucky and fantastic life just because you can walk down a street or hug a friend. Appreciate it.
This book is well written, with a couple of stylistic approaches adopted to introduce an objective assessment of other people's views and opinions of Matt and what happened to him. Suffice to say it works, as it also does when Matt is telling his own story. The NHS and rugby authorities come in for a bit of a blasting and perhaps it is justified, but I wasn't convinced. If anything, the stress that Matt's injury causes for people close to him is immense and has to find an outlet somewhere. Attacking rugby officials might be easier than trying to attack fate, God, or the bad luck that has befallen Matt with this injury. As in Melanie Reid's book, however, you're given an insight into the capriciousness of fate. Although sport is the culprit here in causing the injury, you could be hit by a drunk driver, slip on a frosty carpark or trip over a carpet and find yourself waking up paralysed from the neck down. It's scary, and makes you count your blessings.
I didn't find this book as introspective and thoughtful as the others, but it often seemed a bit more practical and positive. Matt is making the best of a bad job, that's for sure, and I admire him for it. Yes, it was a sobering read in many ways, but you can't help wondering if you would cope as admirably as Matt seems to in this account. I really wish him well.
This book is well written, with a couple of stylistic approaches adopted to introduce an objective assessment of other people's views and opinions of Matt and what happened to him. Suffice to say it works, as it also does when Matt is telling his own story. The NHS and rugby authorities come in for a bit of a blasting and perhaps it is justified, but I wasn't convinced. If anything, the stress that Matt's injury causes for people close to him is immense and has to find an outlet somewhere. Attacking rugby officials might be easier than trying to attack fate, God, or the bad luck that has befallen Matt with this injury. As in Melanie Reid's book, however, you're given an insight into the capriciousness of fate. Although sport is the culprit here in causing the injury, you could be hit by a drunk driver, slip on a frosty carpark or trip over a carpet and find yourself waking up paralysed from the neck down. It's scary, and makes you count your blessings.
I didn't find this book as introspective and thoughtful as the others, but it often seemed a bit more practical and positive. Matt is making the best of a bad job, that's for sure, and I admire him for it. Yes, it was a sobering read in many ways, but you can't help wondering if you would cope as admirably as Matt seems to in this account. I really wish him well.
August 9, 2017
As an Occupational Therapist you are often seeking to gain a glimmer of an understanding and empathy for the people you treat and I think books such as these offer something significant to clinicians in that the story is wholly owned by the person and not filtered by the illusions of the medical and rehabilitation professions.
This is brutally honest throughout and very well written, I think Matt knew what he was doing in seeking a writer to work with/for him. Their device for telling the story is fiendishly clever and keeps giving insights in ways I could not have imagined. Including the surrounding characters of someone's life "doubled up" the emotions as you see the circumstances from "inside" Matt and externally from his friends and relatives.
I follow international rugby but much less so club games and the internal culture of clubs would never be my milieu however it was the Leicester Tigers that proved they may demand "everything" from their players but that it is a two way street and they will always live up to their end of the bargain as a "perhaps physically rough, but deeply morale family". I will refrain from commenting on the RFU, Ann Hampson is far more articulate.
Read this book, especially if you like Rugby but it will bring tears to your eyes. I also hope that Matts injury has influenced the safety rules we see today on the club and international playing fields.
This is brutally honest throughout and very well written, I think Matt knew what he was doing in seeking a writer to work with/for him. Their device for telling the story is fiendishly clever and keeps giving insights in ways I could not have imagined. Including the surrounding characters of someone's life "doubled up" the emotions as you see the circumstances from "inside" Matt and externally from his friends and relatives.
I follow international rugby but much less so club games and the internal culture of clubs would never be my milieu however it was the Leicester Tigers that proved they may demand "everything" from their players but that it is a two way street and they will always live up to their end of the bargain as a "perhaps physically rough, but deeply morale family". I will refrain from commenting on the RFU, Ann Hampson is far more articulate.
Read this book, especially if you like Rugby but it will bring tears to your eyes. I also hope that Matts injury has influenced the safety rules we see today on the club and international playing fields.
January 8, 2023
I think that as this book is great, especially giving the reader snippets of Matt’s life before, during and after the accident whilst also breaking the whole thing down with snippets of a legal case relating to Matt and his accident.
The thing I liked about the book is that the legal and scene aspects had a different font and the life aspect had a different font, adding an additional font for sounds to make the whole book easier to visualise. I also liked the fact that at the end it also showcased what he is doing now and how he’s effecting those around him which I found great.
Additionally, the thing I didn’t expect from this book but really liked was getting different perspectives of how did accident effected those around Matt as well. You have his families, his friends, colleagues, bosses, partner and other people who have had accidents as well.
The thing I liked about the book is that the legal and scene aspects had a different font and the life aspect had a different font, adding an additional font for sounds to make the whole book easier to visualise. I also liked the fact that at the end it also showcased what he is doing now and how he’s effecting those around him which I found great.
Additionally, the thing I didn’t expect from this book but really liked was getting different perspectives of how did accident effected those around Matt as well. You have his families, his friends, colleagues, bosses, partner and other people who have had accidents as well.
March 5, 2025
The powerful story of Matt Hampsons tragic accident, a life transformed in a moment. The story unfolds through a combination of Matt’s personal account and a script following the court case after Matt’s accident. This was a risk, but it really worked. It allowed Matt to tell his story, whilst simultaneously seeing the impact of the accident through family, friends, coaches and medical staffs eyes. It also shone a light on the friction with the RFU post accident, and told the stories of others suffering with spinal injuries. The courage shown by Matt is incredible. His sense of humour shines through the narrative, and the perspective he has on life makes you reflect on your own. He’s very open about the dark moments; particularly in the early days as he adjusted to his new reality, a truly unimaginable pain.
A definite recommend to all, not just rugby fans!
A definite recommend to all, not just rugby fans!
July 29, 2019
This is a fantastic read. I am a personal friend of Matt's and I have firsthand experience of his immense fortitude. It's a real test of his character and a testament to his strength that since his injury he rose once again. I knew he would and could do this. Being disabled myself, and this was evident in Matt's book ,that any disabled person should never seek pity or feel self pity. They should strive for and embrace every positive thing that life brings them. I can highly recommend this greatly humorous and quite rightly so self effacing good read.
May 18, 2020
There’s not much I feel like I can say about this book I don’t think I could ever do the book justice. The courage, bravery and humour inside this book is incredible. A few times I found myself with tears in my eyes. I am thankful and honoured to read such a book and I think a lot could take a great deal from such a book. “The Matt Hampton Foundation aims to inspire and support young people seriously injured through sport. I feel that with with the experiences I have gone through I can support people in a similar situation to myself.”
September 16, 2021
This is an interesting and inspiring read but I didn’t like the way it was told in places as a play and there’s a lot of emails. The book is very hard on his parents strangely, when they went through one of the worst things anyone can go through and surely a lot of Matts strength comes from them too. And the “Jenny” seemed a bit odd, I take it the real person didn’t want to be involved in the book and I can’t say I blame her for that, but to then fictionalise her seems bizarre, it left a bad taste.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2019
Remarkable. That is all.
February 18, 2020
Wonderful book, can't recommend this book highly enough
March 5, 2020
Very riveting story about Matt's injury and the way it was handled.
June 13, 2021
Humbling and inspirational in equal measures.
October 1, 2021
Possibly best sports book ever read. Along with one best family books read.
Hated when it finished, could have spent another 200 pages with this remarkable family
Hated when it finished, could have spent another 200 pages with this remarkable family
October 8, 2021
Just one word “inspirational”!
June 19, 2022
Really good!
October 28, 2023
The quickest I’ve ever read a book without doubt. Moving.
January 11, 2013
(Kindle)
Great book.
Contrary to some other reviews I've read I actually thought Kimmage achieved what should be the ultimate goal in all ghost-writing: to truly become a ghost and make the reader forget that there is anyone between them and the subject—which is exactly what happened to me. I really felt like this was Matt's story, and promptly forget about anyone else's involvement shortly after a mention of Kimmage in Matt's house, getting flustered by the sight of Lance Armstrong's biography (ha!). I also really liked the structure of the book, which was non-linear and made up of chapters from Matt's perspective and a movie script of courtroom scenes. (Sounds weird, I know, and it took a little bit of getting used to—but I felt it really, really worked.)
Needless to say Matt's story is one of both devastating tragedy and awesome inspiration, made all the more so by the fact that he shared that he *was* scared and he did wonder for a time how he was going to get through this. He sugarcoats nothing and shares everything. I was particularly moved by the pages he took to tell us about how many other people he's met who are in similar and worst situations than he is, and for such "silly" reasons, e.g. one man is paralyzed for life because a drunk friend of his ran up behind him on a street one night and jumped on his back.
Matt is clearly an exceptional person who can teach the rest of us a thing or two about life, and Engage is a suitably exceptional book through which we can start to learn those things.
(Side note: he mentions meeting Jimmy Saville at Stoke Mandeville and instantly detests him, seeing through his "saint" image. Not only is Matt inspiring, but he's clearly an excellent judge of character too!)
Great book.
Contrary to some other reviews I've read I actually thought Kimmage achieved what should be the ultimate goal in all ghost-writing: to truly become a ghost and make the reader forget that there is anyone between them and the subject—which is exactly what happened to me. I really felt like this was Matt's story, and promptly forget about anyone else's involvement shortly after a mention of Kimmage in Matt's house, getting flustered by the sight of Lance Armstrong's biography (ha!). I also really liked the structure of the book, which was non-linear and made up of chapters from Matt's perspective and a movie script of courtroom scenes. (Sounds weird, I know, and it took a little bit of getting used to—but I felt it really, really worked.)
Needless to say Matt's story is one of both devastating tragedy and awesome inspiration, made all the more so by the fact that he shared that he *was* scared and he did wonder for a time how he was going to get through this. He sugarcoats nothing and shares everything. I was particularly moved by the pages he took to tell us about how many other people he's met who are in similar and worst situations than he is, and for such "silly" reasons, e.g. one man is paralyzed for life because a drunk friend of his ran up behind him on a street one night and jumped on his back.
Matt is clearly an exceptional person who can teach the rest of us a thing or two about life, and Engage is a suitably exceptional book through which we can start to learn those things.
(Side note: he mentions meeting Jimmy Saville at Stoke Mandeville and instantly detests him, seeing through his "saint" image. Not only is Matt inspiring, but he's clearly an excellent judge of character too!)
March 30, 2012
I played rugby a lot in my youth and felt duty-bound to pick this up at some point. It's a great read and has some curious twists on the typical autobiography. There's a lot of re-imagined dreamlike scenarios whilst the court proceedings are done in the third-person. I'm sure this is done for dramatic effect but in my mind it ever-so slightly trivalised the circumstances surrounding Matt's tragic accident: I would have been just as interested to read about the formal enquiry process in the usual first-person, the shift to third-person makes it seem a bit detached and fictional.
Certainly the book does well to not gloss over the parts of paralysis that are uncomfortable to read about - the mental struggles and personal hygiene most notably. The candid way the book addresses such things is to its credit. It goes without saying that Matt Hampson is truly inspiring and this comes through as the book evolves. Overall this is a great example of a tragic story being told where the addition of certain dramatic elements does not tarnish the respectability of the account. Very good.
Certainly the book does well to not gloss over the parts of paralysis that are uncomfortable to read about - the mental struggles and personal hygiene most notably. The candid way the book addresses such things is to its credit. It goes without saying that Matt Hampson is truly inspiring and this comes through as the book evolves. Overall this is a great example of a tragic story being told where the addition of certain dramatic elements does not tarnish the respectability of the account. Very good.
November 4, 2013
where to start,?FANTASTIC,touching,quite a harrowing tale in some respects,which also compassionately includes tales of others who have had spinal injuries,despite what he has been through this bloke is NOT self centered...makes you realise how we take our bodies for granted,so quickly life can change for anybody,in any situation......huge respect for Matt Hampson and how he coped,including his relatives and friends,what a chap...."engaging" read !....i found it hard to put down,made me also realise how brutal Rugby as a sport is,yet comes with that great comaradeship....i guess all living has a huge amount of risk,but thats no reason not to embrace and live it to the full.
May 30, 2012
This is a sports biography, but it isn't. It's like no other sports biography because rather than celebrating a career, the story starts at the end of a career, or rather, the title of the book. The last word Matt Hampson heard before a scrum collapsed on him and he broke his spine.
Confined to a wheelchair, the story of his struggle to come to terms with his new life, and his fight to make a difference despite his disability should be the dictionary definition of 'Inspiring'.
Confined to a wheelchair, the story of his struggle to come to terms with his new life, and his fight to make a difference despite his disability should be the dictionary definition of 'Inspiring'.
April 15, 2012
I wasn't in love with the dream like sequences but the bulk of the book is excellent. Well worth a read and makes you think how lucky you are, not just the stories of people like Matt who got hurt playing rugby but there are so many people in the book who get seriously injured in what are freak accidents.
December 4, 2025
Great biography of young rugby star who breaks his neck in a scrum and how he copes afterwards living his life in a wheelchair and yet still with hope and with love and worth. This book helped me process my younger brothers car accident in which he sustained a similar injury, and helped me be there for my brother.
July 19, 2012
what a good alternative from the normal run of the mill sports biographies, full of emotion and humour and how the human spirit and determination to take on a crisis and make the best of it.....
January 14, 2013
An excellent read, inspiring and horrifying at the same time.
A book for all sports fans.
A book for all sports fans.
May 31, 2013
Fantastic book make you laugh, and cry (almost) and makes you realise that your life isn't so tough after all.
April 10, 2014
Positive and uplifting, liked how it was presented too
March 10, 2015
Featuring the greatest personification of Satan in all literature, here taking the form of Lawrence Dallaglio in his Wasp kit.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews