Bear Grylls reminds us that there is a beautiful wildness to life, that adventure is where you find it, and that being prepared is essential for survival on the edge. The book reads more like an adventure story than your usual biography and is a fast-paced romp from one crazy scenario to another. Bear takes us through his childhood antics, with a humorous glimpse of his family life and time at Eton. It is not really laugh-out-loud funny, but it definitely makes you smile as you read about his escapades. His enthusiasm and zest for life are contagious. Bear always comes across as humbly grateful for his experiences, rather than being boastful of his natural abilities. In fact, he has a habit of downplaying his talents, giving thanks to God for getting him through sticky situations.
It's clear how his early life influenced his love for the outdoors and adventure and how his father, in particular, was instrumental in encouraging him to follow this love. It's inspiring to read his story, both as a parent and as a traveler through your own life. There is never a sense of being lectured to at all, but his story is so filled with anecdotes about success through hard work, balanced with risk-taking, that you get swept along and yearn to jump into your own life with both feet and instil that quality in others.
The chapters that dealt with his SAS training were pretty intense. I had no idea that the training was as rigorous as it is! You must have to be incredibly driven and fit to succeed in that environment. And then he went to climb Everest! Bear talks about his successes and failures and doesn't hold back from how he felt at the time, often barely scraping by on the skin of his teeth. His writing is very honest and open and he gives details that do not show him in a great light, such as his fears and when he makes mistakes--or even gets away with things by cutting corners. I think that Bear just wants to come across as human, with the same inherent hopes and fears and dreams that so many of us share. He does this exceedingly well and it is very easy to relate to him.
Bear does not talk much about his life in front of the cameras. The focus is more on all the events that lead up to that point. I'm not sure if he plans on following this book up with one that goes behind the scenes of his TV life, or if he just wants to keep some things private. He certainly does not seem to be someone who thrives on fame. In fact, he is frequently bewildered by it all and sees it as a byproduct of being so successful at what he loves. His focus is always on his love for family and nature, with an appreciation to God for bringing the best of these together for him. But since Bear has already authored several books, I would not be surprised to see one from him at some point about his filming experiences. However, I guarantee that he will again focus on the aspects that are important to him, which will not include media attention, fast cars, or anything else that goes hand-in-hand with financial or public success. It's clear that to Bear, success means having fun in the outdoors and then going home to his family.
I do not watch TV, so this was my first exposure to Bear Grylls. After I finished the book I had to check out some of Bear's TV shows and was slightly alarmed by his willingness to drink his own pee. In his whole biography there was no indication of this tendency towards this kind of self-sustenance. So if you are used to Bear as a bug-eating, pee-drinking TV personality, his book lets you into the side of him that is still very driven, but more likely to sit down and chat about life over a pint of something more palatable.
