Hermann Maier: The Race of My Life Paperback – 13 Dec. 2005

You don't need to enjoy skiing to enjoy this book of endurance. This is the story of how one young man defied all odds to be the best in his sport following a major road accident. Simply told it's amazing how he rehabilitated himself mainly due to his determination and self belief. This is a must read for anyone going through a physical trauma who wants to be inspired to help themselves mend without only relying on doctors and nurses

As someone who does not follow alpine skiing that often, I still knew and understood Hermann Maier's achievements within the sport as nothing less than sensational (and that was prior to reading this book). His prevalence on the world stage from the latter part of the 90's through to the early 2000's was hard to miss, even for the most casual Ski Sunday fan. Therefore, the news of his dreadful motorcycle crash in 2001 was all the more hard-hitting, given the 'invincible' aura he had built up over the years - both through race results and spectacular head-first skiing fall recoveries alike.Maier's book has been translated into English from the original German publication. However, apart from a handful of unusual exclamations of Maier's thoughts, you would never know this. Brilliantly constructed, it combines the life-changing crash as the main element; together with flashbacks to the incident, previous results, and many great stories from his life as a skier. The narrative spares no detail in the extent of Maier's 2001 injuries, and conveys the hoplessness and desperation of his physical situation at that time, having to re-adjust to simple tasks like walking again, let alone skiing downhill into oblivion. Maier's triumphant return, climaxing at his victorious 2004 season, really is the icing on the cake and makes a wonderful conclusion to the autobiography.I enjoyed this book, particularly because it was not a formulaic delve into his results and performances. Maier was very candid about events surrounding his accident, and it was great to really see the man behind the 'Herminator' facade. The best sporting autobiographies (or indeed biographies) are those that transcend the statistics and the sporting discipline in question - and this is a book that would certainly appeal to anyone fascinated by how one man could change his life, after being dealt a sudden and debilitating hand. Another flawless victory for the boy Hermann.

As a recreational skier from Ireland I knew next to nothing about Hermann Maier until I made the trip to Kitzbuhel to check the place out. I talked to the locals about skiing and how much he influenced skiing in Austria so i said I'd read his book just to see what all th fuss was about.One of the best decisions I've ever made...This book was an amazing read,it's very like Lance Armstrong's book but it has that little extra edge to it,Armstrong's was more mainstream and marketed better but this would sell just as much if not more. It's an extremely honest telling of his story from his motorcycle crash right up until he was back winning races. I told my uncle about his story and he wouldn't believe me,he read the book and was vindicated.It's a must read for any sports fan.

Utterly brilliant biography of the highs and lows of a sporting legend.From the depths of depression after an injury that most would throw the towel in, to tears on the top of the podium and elation.Anyone who read Lance Armstrong's about the bike would love this

If skiing is you're thing, then this book could well be for you. Similarly, if you're looking for some inspiration about a miraculous recovery from injury and the strength that the human spirit can find in adversity, then you'll find something in this as well.Basically the tale begins with the motorbike accident that nearly kills Hermann and certainly looks like it's finished his career. It then goes into detail about the long recovery process and the eventual success that follows. In addition, there are some great insights into the past that go some way to explaining the strength of character that is shown during the recovery process. It's genuinely interesting and gives an insight into the world of high speed skiing.The only flaws in the book are that it perhaps doesn't concentrate enough on the racing (although I accept that probably wasn't it's main focus) and that it comes across as a bit of a love-in for Hermann's ego. This could be down to the translation from Austrian/German, but is probably down to the fact that to be the athlete Hermann clearly is, you need a certain strength of character and self belief that sometimes cones accross as arrogance in the text.Don't let it put you off though. It's a good read.

only an ok read. not as good as expected

Very mixed feelings about this book. Half of me was fascinated about how focused and determined he was. It highlighted how important it is to have clear goals. The other half of me was thinking “ok, your crash was horrible and you’re trying really hard to recover but stop banging on about it”. Some good parts but ultimately one dimensional and could have been much shorter / less repetitive

Great book about a brilliant man, can only recommend. Read it and enjoy the book as well. thank you Hermann