October 3, 2005
What gives a twenty-something Olympic ski racer the right to write an autobiography? In Miller's case, it's a life lived far beyond what his 28 years would imply, and the frequently reported fact that Miller doesn't seek approval for much-in sport or in life. Disgruntled by his misrepresentation in the press ("Do a Google search on 'Bode Miller' and 'Outhouse' and see how many hits you get."), Miller spent his off-season attempting to set the record straight-by writing it himself. The American press, as unfamiliar with his sport as they seem to be with his back story, often paints Miller as a home-schooled hippie raised in the wild woods of New Hampshire who calls his parents by their first names and is more concerned with having a good time than being a good sport. He is, in fact, all of these things, and proudly so. But, he says, "Anything I've ever done is because of my upbringing, not in spite of it." His mantra ("It's not mantra, really."), "Go fast, be good, have fun," permeates the book, which is peppered with Bode-isms (think: Yogi Berra with an attitude) and stories of friends, fun and fast times. "I live exactly the life I'd choose for myself if I could go to the hardware store and buy one off the shelf," Miller writes. And by the second chapter, you already believe him. Photos.
October 3, 2005
What gives a twenty-something Olympic ski racer the right to write an autobiography? In Miller's case, it's a life lived far beyond what his 28 years would imply, and the frequently reported fact that Miller doesn't seek approval for much-in sport or in life. Disgruntled by his misrepresentation in the press ("Do a Google search on 'Bode Miller' and 'Outhouse' and see how many hits you get."), Miller spent his off-season attempting to set the record straight-by writing it himself. The American press, as unfamiliar with his sport as they seem to be with his back story, often paints Miller as a home-schooled hippie raised in the wild woods of New Hampshire who calls his parents by their first names and is more concerned with having a good time than being a good sport. He is, in fact, all of these things, and proudly so. But, he says, "Anything I've ever done is because of my upbringing, not in spite of it." His mantra ("It's not mantra, really."), "Go fast, be good, have fun," permeates the book, which is peppered with Bode-isms (think: Yogi Berra with an attitude) and stories of friends, fun and fast times. "I live exactly the life I'd choose for myself if I could go to the hardware store and buy one off the shelf," Miller writes. And by the second chapter, you already believe him. Photos.
Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
September 1, 2005
How did a homeschooled rural boy become the coolest guy on skis? This as-told-to biography of Bode Miller, downhill skiing Olympic medalist and X-Games trailblazer, tells the story. Both Bode and coauthor McEnany hail from the hills of New Hampshire, where Bode won his first race at age 10 and where he grew up with parents who combined a traditional belief in family with a hippie lifestyle (living in a cabin without indoor plumbing or electricity) and a commitment to individualism and self--exploration. What resulted, remarkably, was a driven athlete with a philosophical streak: "Here's my small bit," Bode offers, after having survived a rough patch in his career: "Everything you need to succeed is inside your head. Listen to yourself." Bode's success on the slopes and his centered approach to life belie the stereotype that associates Gen Xers with aimlessness. More substantive than most sports bios.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)