Life of Evel: Evel Knievel

by Stuart Barker

He's in the Guinness Book of Records for the most broken bones in a single year. He claimed to have slept with more than 2,000 women. He battled alcoholism and gambling addictions, was jailed for attacking a colleague with a baseball bat, and blew an estimated $60 million fortune. And he became a superstar for repeatedly staring death in the face with his headline-grabbing stunts on his flying motorbike. Evel Knievel was the last great gladiator, an extraordinary thrill-seeker with an even more extraordinary life that endeared him to millions.A searching and at times harrowing re-appraisal of the life of Evel Knievel, Stuart Barker's definitive biography captures the superstar status that Knievel held and also examines the originator of Xtreme sports--a man whose love of gambling, women and drinking, ensure his legend will live forever. Through meticulous reporting and interviews, Barker penetrates the legends to divulge the complete story of one of the most compell

Genres: Biography

336 pages, Hardcover

First published August 16, 2004

About the author

Stuart Barker was born in Galloway, Scotland and graduated from Strathclyde University in 1996. A lifelong motor racing fan, he worked at Motor Cycle News, first as a news reporter then as a feature writer and road tester. After four years, he became a freelance writer and has been published in many magazines including FHM, Superbike, Two Wheels Only and Biker. He has co-written books with Niall Mackenzie and Steve Hislop and wrote a bestselling biography of the late Barry Sheene.

Reviews

[Matt Peskett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A childhood hero (actually still one) and this books reaffirms that......brash, sexist, full of bullshit and balls the size footballs.....what's not to admire in a 70's hero. A very warts and all book and one that's all the better for it, but because of how it's written you still feel that you would have liked to have met him. I actually think you would like this even if you weren't impressed by Evel and his exploits or aren't old enough to have remembered them.....Now where's my chest wig, my medallion, an earthen ramp and my Raleigh Grifter!

[Jon Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as a Kindle ebook that I purchased for 99 cents. I was inspired to read about the life of Evel Knievel after visiting the Evel Knievel Museum that is located in Topeka, KS of all places. I visited the museum on October 17, 2024. The museum is scheduled to close in Topeka in November 2024 and it will reopen in Las Vegas, NV sometime in the future. Anyway, as far as the book is concerned, it covers Knievel's life from his hardscrabble beginnings in Butte, Montana, his meteoric rise to fame as the world's most well known daredevil in the 1970's, his drop from the public eye in the 1980's, and his renewed stardom buoyed by a wave of boomer nostalgia in the 1990's and 2000's. This is a warts-and-all telling of his life story and includes his drinking, his thieving, his astounding ability to exaggerate and lie continuously, his spousal abuse, etc. It wasn't a great book; it seemed lightweight somehow, but maybe I was looking for depth in the life story of a person who apparently didn't have a lot of depth. But it was a quick read and it did add to what I learned about Evel Knievel in that Topeka museum. I was particularly interested in reading about the failed 1974 attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon in a steam-powered rocket cycle. That event is given a chapter, but I could certainly stand to read more, so I will be looking for something to read that is more focused on that chapter of Knievel's career. Three out of five stars.

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this because I watched a documentary on Evel on a whim and found him fascinating. This book gave insight into his life in more detail than the documentary and painted a realistic picture of the man. It must have been a difficult book to write as Evel was just that evil at times, and no one can deny he did these terrible things. But why this book is good is because it presents a fair balance between good and evil, the good that he did when he inspired youngsters to follow their dreams, the good he did when he never gave up and stayed true to his word, and his unique and deniable charisma, balanced against the darker side of him. The bits I didn’t like so much were there were some parts of the book that the writer even admits he doesn’t know if they’re true or fiction, I felt like in these instances they could have been left out. But all in all a great and inspirational read, even if you have no prior knowledge of the guy.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

He is regarded by many as the ultimate daredevil, the king of them all. Inside you'll find out more about that American icon, Captain Marvel. He said better live a rich life than die rich, you'll hear about bikes, bones, prostitution, the life of a stuntman, his claim having slept with 2000 women, happy and unhappy landings, his major career statistics. Well, Evel was one of the heroes of my youth, superman, a phenomenon, someone we admired. This books sums up his incredible life and also has a great photo section to look at. Highly recommended!

[Jeff Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evel sould have had a good manager to help him plan out his jumps to where he might have cut down on so many broken bones and damage to his bike. I liked how he came up with his stage name while sitting in a jail cell, next cell mate was named William Knofel but the jailer called him Awful Knofel. Robert decided to start calling himself Evel Knivevel cause it sang!
This man was...The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly all in one.
Hopefully he made it to Heaven before the Devil knew he was dead!

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read I am a fan.

I have seen multiple movies and documentaries on Evel Knievel. This book really set me straight with the true story. Real life obstacles on and off the road. Loved it.

[Vincenzo Ridente · Rating 5 out of 5]

If your a fan of Evel Knievel and want to have the best biography on him that look no further then this book you won't want to put it down

[Riley Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I read this book I knew very little about Evel Knievel other than that his stunt career was responsible for starting the revolution of extreme sports and made it possible for extreme sports athletes like Travis Pastrana to further push the limits of stunts. His legacy is the reason that competitions like the X Games even exist at all, but I never knew any of the details. This book was amazing to read and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in extreme motor sports or motorcycle culture. This book lays out all of the events of Evel's life that led to him becoming a stunt man extraordinaire. The reason that people loved him, is the same reason people loved characters like James Dean and Jonny Cash, because they were outlaws. If you were to read this book you would see that Evel was no exception. His decisions were questionable but his success and prowess seemed to stretch beyond his obvious personality flaws, and he made it work. Though he probably isn't someone people should look up to as a hero, he is in every way responsible for the motorsport culture that has guided my life and my career, so in that light he has completely earned my respect. I gave this book five stars because I found it to be inspirational and very easy to read, the book never lagged or got boring, I was constantly engaged and loved the whole thing.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

He was born as Robert but later assumed the name "Evel" Knievel. The life he lived was amazing because of the risks he took, the the heights he reached (on a motorcycle and as a celebrity) and even the points of his life. As a kid I grew up hearing about him from my older brother and the kids he hung out with. I remember Evel Knievel toys advertised during Saturday morning cartoons.
Like others of my generation we moved on and forgot about the Daredevil. But when I picked up this book I recalled how the bleak days of the 1970s with war, Watergate, inflation and gas shortages were brightened by the antics of the bold, braggart on two wheels. He was a real hero.
Reading the book took some of the shine off his image. But who can top him for big plans and big crashes?
The only thing I did not like about the book was the author using BRITISH spelling such as tyre and colour. I hope the publisher will edit the book a bit to make if a smoother read for people on this side of the Atlantic.
That said, I must commend the author for doing such thorough research and doing a fine job of writing.

[Armand · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about another one of my heroes. Another one I read cover to cover in one sitting, also. This book is actually rather dull, as far as the actual writing is concerned. Were it not for Knievel's volatile personality and the continual misadventures and trouble he was always mixed up in, I don't think I would have been able to read it through. I came away with the sense of how strange it is, that arbitrary things like fame and fortune can turn some of the most repugnant, piglike personalities around into heroes worthy of adulation and worship. It strikes me how this craven, selfish prick who openly cheated on his wife, stayed pissy drunk 24/7, bullied people and believed himself above the law was a childhood hero of mine. And still is, I just see that other side to him, now. There is a lot to be revealed here about human nature.

[Wolfman James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first brought this book at amazon I thought it might be an great read and it was they talk about how the legend that is evel fought Christianity for many years they also talked about how he became a believer in Christ they talk about how his chief crew member John hood was left for half the night at the edge of snake river canyon four star book highly recommend

[William Kregor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is a great book. it tells you all about evel knievels life and it gives you a clear vision of what he was like as a person. this book talks about all the jumps that he did and all the times he injuired himself.

[Georgiann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting life to say the least...the man went from no where to world wide attention by breaking every bone except his neck...good read for any 70's pop-culture fanatic:)

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The man, the myth, warts and all.

[Rod · Rating 4 out of 5]

good story of his hell raising life from his days as a bank robber to super rich playboy to drunken hustler. an extra full life.

[Nathan Rabin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh.