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A review by andrew_j_r
On the Edge by Richard Hammond
4.0
When I first started reading this book, I was initially disappointed that so little of the material covered Hammond’s youth and career before Top Gear. It was a biography after all wasn’t it?
Well yes and no. I had missed the point. This book is, specifically, about the accident that caused his brain injury in 2006 and his recovery from it. It is actually very engagingly written by Richard, and then when the accident actually happens the narrative switches from his perspective to that of his wife Mindy. And it’s quite harrowing in places, she had so much to balance what with a husband with brain damage, who was mentally reduced to being a child, plus her actually children, all of whom needed her.
It has made me think about the way the brain works, and the things we take for granted, for example the ability to daydream, which Hammond lost immediately after the crash. So I would argue this book is not for Top Gear fans, it’s for anyone who has a genuine interest in how the brain works and the consequences of it work working properly at some point.
I do however agree with a point comedian Stuart Lee made - this book should have been published by BBC books and proceeds from it gone back into the licence fee. But that’s a minor quibble and did not actually prevent me from enjoying the narrative and get a little closer to understanding how fine a balance of emotion, knowledge and decision making the human brain actually is.
Well yes and no. I had missed the point. This book is, specifically, about the accident that caused his brain injury in 2006 and his recovery from it. It is actually very engagingly written by Richard, and then when the accident actually happens the narrative switches from his perspective to that of his wife Mindy. And it’s quite harrowing in places, she had so much to balance what with a husband with brain damage, who was mentally reduced to being a child, plus her actually children, all of whom needed her.
It has made me think about the way the brain works, and the things we take for granted, for example the ability to daydream, which Hammond lost immediately after the crash. So I would argue this book is not for Top Gear fans, it’s for anyone who has a genuine interest in how the brain works and the consequences of it work working properly at some point.
I do however agree with a point comedian Stuart Lee made - this book should have been published by BBC books and proceeds from it gone back into the licence fee. But that’s a minor quibble and did not actually prevent me from enjoying the narrative and get a little closer to understanding how fine a balance of emotion, knowledge and decision making the human brain actually is.