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Lt: Living on the Edge
Lawrence Taylor's own account of his life in football with the Super Bowl champion New York Giants. Also, in this book Taylor details his substance abuse and recovery after the 1985 season. Two 8-page black-and-white photograph inserts.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published July 12, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 17, 2015
The book that I read is living on the edge bye Lawrence Taylor. This book is about basically Lawrence Taylor's life story.It tells you a lot about how he came up from being a young and what he did in his childhood years. Then builds up his whole career. There wasn't really anything that I didn't like about this book. I just wished that more athletes do books like this one. I strongly recommend this to a young athlete that loves football.
November 14, 2023
"LT: Living on the Edge," is the autobiography of the great linebacker Lawrence Taylor. Lawrence Taylor played for the New York Giants, and he and his team won the Super Bowl back in 1986.
Lawrence Taylor, AKA LT as he was called during his days playing for the Giants, or "The Monster," as he was known during his freshman year at North Carolina, a nickname that would eventually morph into, "Filthy McNasty," during his senior year, was wild.
LT tells the story of his childhood, growing up in a small town with protective parents who kept a close eye on him and his two brothers. He was a fairly good child, although his father might have been more on the abusive end of the spectrum, his mother was a solid and loving figure, and LT didn't complain too much in the book about either of them.
He found out he was gifted as an athlete in what appeared to be sort of a random and unintentional way, and he was mentored during high school by a coach who could see his potential.
LT ended up going to school at North Carolina where he was ridiculously wild and crazy--so much so that it was clear he wanted to shock and possibly intimidate others. One of his stories involved going out to the bar with his friends. After they drank their beers, the friends would smash their beer glasses in a tough sort of way. Not to be outdone, LT broke his beer glass and then ate the remainder of the glass–just to let everyone know that he was probably the alpha male of the group.
LT used to scale the side of a brick building just because he could do it. He'd just climb up the side of the outside brick walls like a goat while people below watched him in awe.
LT was an incredible football player and he was drafted to play for the New York Giants. He was one of the Giants best players, and he went to several pro bowls and was MVP many times.
He eventually got in trouble when he was given a random drug test and his urine tested positive for crack cocaine.
While reading the book, you get the idea that LT found that the trouble he had with crack was a low point in his life and he was embarrassed about people finding out that he smoked the drug.
LT is a private individual and he doesn't want people to know his intimate business and that his personal struggles (and potential weaknesses) had been made public obviously made LT feel uncomfortable.
LT definitely does not like feeling vulnerable. Which is why this book probably wasn’t as moving or as intense as it could have been.
As LT is very private, I felt that the book wasn't all that intimate. It was a light, glossed over version of the events of the life of Lawrence Taylor. I don't necessarily feel that Taylor revealed anything deep or meaningful in his autobiography. As you read the book, you get the feeling Taylor felt compelled to write the book to set the record straight about his drug addiction because people wouldn't stop asking about the topic.
There were parts of this book that were fun to read, and after having read about him, I have concluded that LT was a cool guy. I think it’s a shame that so much of his story is focused on the fact he got caught smoking crack.
Someone told me that once a person becomes addicted to crack, they will smoke crack for life. Even if they are not smoking crack, they will still be thinking about smoking crack, non-stop. I really hope that this is not the case for LT.
I think LT was a pretty cool guy and he was very talented and successful. I wish him all the luck in the world, and I hope that he has beaten his drug addiction and found happiness.
I am rating his book 3 stars as, while it was entertaining and fun to read, it was not a deep reveal of LT's most intimate thoughts, and he could have communicated a more profound sense of feeling through his words--should that he have been so inclined.
Lawrence Taylor, AKA LT as he was called during his days playing for the Giants, or "The Monster," as he was known during his freshman year at North Carolina, a nickname that would eventually morph into, "Filthy McNasty," during his senior year, was wild.
LT tells the story of his childhood, growing up in a small town with protective parents who kept a close eye on him and his two brothers. He was a fairly good child, although his father might have been more on the abusive end of the spectrum, his mother was a solid and loving figure, and LT didn't complain too much in the book about either of them.
He found out he was gifted as an athlete in what appeared to be sort of a random and unintentional way, and he was mentored during high school by a coach who could see his potential.
LT ended up going to school at North Carolina where he was ridiculously wild and crazy--so much so that it was clear he wanted to shock and possibly intimidate others. One of his stories involved going out to the bar with his friends. After they drank their beers, the friends would smash their beer glasses in a tough sort of way. Not to be outdone, LT broke his beer glass and then ate the remainder of the glass–just to let everyone know that he was probably the alpha male of the group.
LT used to scale the side of a brick building just because he could do it. He'd just climb up the side of the outside brick walls like a goat while people below watched him in awe.
LT was an incredible football player and he was drafted to play for the New York Giants. He was one of the Giants best players, and he went to several pro bowls and was MVP many times.
He eventually got in trouble when he was given a random drug test and his urine tested positive for crack cocaine.
While reading the book, you get the idea that LT found that the trouble he had with crack was a low point in his life and he was embarrassed about people finding out that he smoked the drug.
LT is a private individual and he doesn't want people to know his intimate business and that his personal struggles (and potential weaknesses) had been made public obviously made LT feel uncomfortable.
LT definitely does not like feeling vulnerable. Which is why this book probably wasn’t as moving or as intense as it could have been.
As LT is very private, I felt that the book wasn't all that intimate. It was a light, glossed over version of the events of the life of Lawrence Taylor. I don't necessarily feel that Taylor revealed anything deep or meaningful in his autobiography. As you read the book, you get the feeling Taylor felt compelled to write the book to set the record straight about his drug addiction because people wouldn't stop asking about the topic.
There were parts of this book that were fun to read, and after having read about him, I have concluded that LT was a cool guy. I think it’s a shame that so much of his story is focused on the fact he got caught smoking crack.
Someone told me that once a person becomes addicted to crack, they will smoke crack for life. Even if they are not smoking crack, they will still be thinking about smoking crack, non-stop. I really hope that this is not the case for LT.
I think LT was a pretty cool guy and he was very talented and successful. I wish him all the luck in the world, and I hope that he has beaten his drug addiction and found happiness.
I am rating his book 3 stars as, while it was entertaining and fun to read, it was not a deep reveal of LT's most intimate thoughts, and he could have communicated a more profound sense of feeling through his words--should that he have been so inclined.
December 15, 2024
After Super Bowl XXI or really the 1987 to 1988 period, it was a big thing for New York Giants players to release autobiographies. Lawrence Taylor did one (released on July 12, 1987). Quarterback Phil Simms did one (August 31, 1988). Linebacker Harry Carson did one (January 1, 1987). Defensive tackle Jim Burt did one (January 1, 1987). And defensive end Leonard Marshall wrote one (September 29, 1987). To date there has been seven books written about the 1986 New York Giants Super Bowl XXI winning team or about players who played on that team. That ought to tell you how special that 1986 season was in Giants football lore.
As for LT: Living on the Edge, the book was a short autobiography on Lawrence Taylor who was the most polarizing figure and the biggest star of that 1986 Giants team. I bet back in the 1987 to 1988 period, this book was a national bestseller especially in the New York tri-state area, and I bet the book was a popular checkout at libraries all the way from New York to the other side of the map in California.
LT: Living on the Edge was a basic childhood to fame and fortune autobiography. Nothing revelatory about the book. There were a few secrets here and there that Taylor wanted to reveal in the book that the public wasn't privy to, scattered thoughts or stories about a few Giants seasons, and etc. The best football autobiography I ever read was the one Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson wrote which was released (September 2, 1987) around the same time Taylor came out with his autobiography. By 1987 Henderson was long gone from the NFL while Taylor was a huge star that year, but Henderson's book hit football fans and players (former and active at the time) much harder and was more potent than Taylor's.
Two elements of the book that I appreciated was that Taylor was honest about his drug addiction in the 1980s and his up and down relationship with fellow teammate and linebacker Harry Carson from 1981 to 1986. In fact, on page 129 he explained how complicated Carson could be and how much the two butted heads over the years. The two of them were driven, competitive, and future Hall of Fame linebackers who had to put up with each other because they were teammates for eight years (1981-1988).
The best and most potent chapter in the book was chapter 16. In that chapter Taylor discussed his crack addiction and how much it affected his life on and off the football field. He wanted to stop using crack, but the drug had too much of a hold on him. It was darn near impossible for him to stop using the highly addictive drug, and there were millions of people in the 1980s who could relate to that.
In conclusion, LT: Living on the Edge was a book that Taylor put out because he knew that he was a superstar in the 1986 to 1987 period, and he knew people wanted to hear his side of the story as far as his crack addiction back then was concerned. Taylor didn't write this book to share stories about his six-year Giants career (he seriously skimped on the details of his 1981 to 1986 Giants career). In reality, Taylor wrote this book as to share with the public how he dealt with his crack addiction, the rehab(s), and anything else that went along with his drug addiction. Around the time this book came out, there were true and false narratives about how Taylor dealt with his crack addiction and so he wanted to set the record straight on how he dealt with his addiction.
As for LT: Living on the Edge, the book was a short autobiography on Lawrence Taylor who was the most polarizing figure and the biggest star of that 1986 Giants team. I bet back in the 1987 to 1988 period, this book was a national bestseller especially in the New York tri-state area, and I bet the book was a popular checkout at libraries all the way from New York to the other side of the map in California.
LT: Living on the Edge was a basic childhood to fame and fortune autobiography. Nothing revelatory about the book. There were a few secrets here and there that Taylor wanted to reveal in the book that the public wasn't privy to, scattered thoughts or stories about a few Giants seasons, and etc. The best football autobiography I ever read was the one Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson wrote which was released (September 2, 1987) around the same time Taylor came out with his autobiography. By 1987 Henderson was long gone from the NFL while Taylor was a huge star that year, but Henderson's book hit football fans and players (former and active at the time) much harder and was more potent than Taylor's.
Two elements of the book that I appreciated was that Taylor was honest about his drug addiction in the 1980s and his up and down relationship with fellow teammate and linebacker Harry Carson from 1981 to 1986. In fact, on page 129 he explained how complicated Carson could be and how much the two butted heads over the years. The two of them were driven, competitive, and future Hall of Fame linebackers who had to put up with each other because they were teammates for eight years (1981-1988).
The best and most potent chapter in the book was chapter 16. In that chapter Taylor discussed his crack addiction and how much it affected his life on and off the football field. He wanted to stop using crack, but the drug had too much of a hold on him. It was darn near impossible for him to stop using the highly addictive drug, and there were millions of people in the 1980s who could relate to that.
In conclusion, LT: Living on the Edge was a book that Taylor put out because he knew that he was a superstar in the 1986 to 1987 period, and he knew people wanted to hear his side of the story as far as his crack addiction back then was concerned. Taylor didn't write this book to share stories about his six-year Giants career (he seriously skimped on the details of his 1981 to 1986 Giants career). In reality, Taylor wrote this book as to share with the public how he dealt with his crack addiction, the rehab(s), and anything else that went along with his drug addiction. Around the time this book came out, there were true and false narratives about how Taylor dealt with his crack addiction and so he wanted to set the record straight on how he dealt with his addiction.
October 22, 2021
Hard to follow unless you understand football. Lots of plays described in detail and teammates mentioned. I would have enjoyed it more if I was plugged into that world! Was genuinely interested in his life and perspectives.
March 10, 2017
After the first chapter I was ready to give up on this book, it was just that tasteless. Then it got into LTs childhood and upbringing up until the '86 Super Bowl and it was entertaining at best and reviling at worst. Most athletes write a book after a big win to inspire and share their story, I'm not sure about his motivations. He is definitely not a role model, and makes no excuses or apologies for his behavior, which ranges from insubordination and rule breaking to rampant drug use. But the thing is, it seems that, LT will be the first to tell you he's not a role model, and probably doesn't care what we think. If I wasn't a Giants fan who respects what LT did on the field, I would have closed the book after the first chapter and probably thrown it in the fireplace...but alas, as a Giants fan, I finished the book, and came out with a much lower view on LT the person.
March 2, 2015
This book was a great book. Because it was heart worming and also, it showed how he was struggling, but he also was helping people out while he was struggling. L.T. was a professional football player for the "New York Giants" he played defensive end. They say he was the best DE ever, he had over 100 sacks in his career. I didn't know L.T. could write like this, the book was very professional. There was one part where it showed were football for him all started. It was a dirt field with a little bit of grass L.T. showed the picture of the football field it was a closed down road were him and some of his friends would play after school. The book caught my attention because I also want to be a professional football player. So that book showed me how to be humble and to put others before my self.
November 13, 2007
LT gives an honest view of his personal mayhem, on and off the field.
April 25, 2008
Probably the best book authored by a known crackhead.
February 6, 2014
good insight on the trappings of success, and how some people handle it
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews