GIMP: When Life Deals You a Crappy Hand, You Can Fold -or You Can Play [Hardcover]

Mark Zupan (Author), Tim Swanson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 17, 2006

College soccer star Mark Zupan had been out drinking one night and had passed out in the back of his best friend's pickup truck when his friend got in the driver's seat, decided to take the truck for a spin, and accidentally crashed it. Thrown into a canal and stuck in frigid water for fourteen hours, Mark was finally rescued and learned soon after that he'd broken his neck. He'd most likely be a quadriplegic and spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair, doctors told him. At first Mark's only goal was to walk again. When that proved impossible, he fell into the depths of anger and despair, retreating from the world and the people closest to him. But love, friendship, and a new sport, quad rugby (a.k.a. "murderball"), helped Mark create a new existence that's truly exceptional.

Gimp, the no-holds-barred memoir of a Paralympic athlete and the star of the Academy Award–nominated documentary Murderball, is an inspiring, defiant, and revealing celebration of spirit and will that confounds readers' prejudices by offering proof that a guy in a chair can still do amazing things: have sex with his girlfriend, party with his friends . . . even crowd-surf at Pearl Jam shows.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"I hate being called handicapped," says Zupan, whose competitiveness at quadriplegic rugby brought him national attention as one of the stars of the Oscar-nominated documentary Murderball. A passionate athlete before breaking his neck in an automobile accident when he was 18 years old, Zupan, now 31, is determined to play just as hard as ever from a wheelchair. But with his team's performance in the 2002 Paralympics already covered in the documentary, the sport that made him famous is relegated to a comparatively small portion of this memoir. Instead, Zupan focuses on the slow recovery process after his accident. Refusing to gloss his story, he speaks frankly and humorously about subjects like "quad sex." While watching the best friend who caused the accident tear himself apart with guilt, he describes how his own bottled-up frustrations impeded his recovery, leading him to stalk his ex-girlfriend and, years later, to be convicted on a drunk driving charge. As in the film, Zupan makes an unforgettable impression with his raw, brash energy.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In 1993, after a night of hard drinking, 18-year-old Zupan curled up for a nap in the bed of his buddy's truck. A freak turn of events later, he was hurled out of the truck and into a canal, where he clung to life--and a tree--for 14 hours. Suddenly a quadriplegic (although with some movement in his arms and legs), the author faced a long and difficult recovery. This memoir chronicles that recovery and Zupan's rise to fame as a superstar in the sport of quadriplegic rugby, also known as Murderball (and also the title of the award-winning documentary that featured Zupan). Like quadriplegic artist John Callahan's Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (1990), the book is alternately funny, biting, snarky, self-indulgent, and moving. Despite the hardships Zupan has endured, he firmly believes he's a lucky guy, and that optimistic attitude is what makes his memoir so enjoyable: it really is a story about success and tackling life on one's own terms. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harper; 1 edition (October 17, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006112768X
• ISBN-13: 978-0061127687
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #939,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gimp Review by Chris Igoe, October 17, 2006

By 

Christopher Igoe "Christopher Igoe" (Coral Springs, Fl) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: GIMP: When Life Deals You a Crappy Hand, You Can Fold -or You Can Play (Hardcover)

It's rare that the voice in my head wakes me up, but there I was this past Saturday pie eyed and amped, to ensure I was the first one to post a review of GIMP on Amazon. Perhaps this sounds a bit obsessive, and it might be, but I feel uniquely qualified for the job. You see about 14 years ago, Mark and I were out celebrating a soccer win, and well... let's just say neither of us made it home that night. This book is the culmination of those wild, painful, phenomenal years.

It would be an understatement to say I've read the book more then once. It's so powerful in places that I literally had to put it down, and walk away. That sounds dramatic, but certain sections are so vivid and life like that it's as if I was reliving them. GIMP is that raw, it's that alive.

Mark Zupan is an exceptional human being.

Perhaps you've seen him in the Oscar nominated film Murderball, or in Jackass 2 and both of these are interesting glimpses into who he is but GIMP is the total portrait.

GIMP is a masterfully written, unflinching stare of brutal yet beautiful honesty. It packs a Tysonesque punch on so many different levels, each relateable to anyone. Families will learn about love, Friends will learn about true friendship. I could go on but suffice it to say, Gimp has a lot of everything, because Mark has a lot of everything. To label it as being a sports book would be doing it a disservice. Labeling it as self help or inspirational wouldn't be inaccurate but it wouldn't be enough. GIMP is true testament to an exceptional life, it's a fast read and well worth you time.

[..]

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a ride!, November 6, 2006

By 

Nicholas A. Ziinojr (ridge, new york United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: GIMP: When Life Deals You a Crappy Hand, You Can Fold -or You Can Play (Hardcover)

This is one of the best biographies I've ever read!Nobody could have told
Mark's story as well as he does.Yes,he's often raunchy and rude throughout the book.But he's also brutally frank and honest.He doesn't hide or sugarcoat anything.He freely admits that he's been a major jerk at times.You will feel a lot of things for Mark while reading this,but one thing you won't feel is sympathy-and that's how he wants it.He wants you to treat him just like a normal person.You will,however,come away with a lot of respect for him,because he earns it.This is a remarkable
story of triumph over tragedy.It's also in-your-face,no-nonsense biography at its best.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What an amazing story!, October 17, 2006

By 

areader - See all my reviews

This review is from: GIMP: When Life Deals You a Crappy Hand, You Can Fold -or You Can Play (Hardcover)

Most biographies try to be inspirational on some level - but this book goes way beyond that. It peels back the layers on what it really means to be in a wheelchair, but without getting sentimental or mawkish. It's also a great story of friendship between Mark and his best friend--who was driving during the accident that put Mark in a wheelchair. The story of how the two of them have coped over the years, from overcoming the drinking and drugs, to the suicide attempts, and ultimately finding ways to maintain their friendship, is a great read on its own. And there is some shocking, interesting stuff in this one--ever wonder the details of how to have sex in a wheelchair? Look no further. Highly recommended.