Book review, Ranulph Fiennes Autobiography.

All you book worms out there, I have eventually finished another book! I am sure you are wondering how one can take so long to read a single book, and trust me the book was not the length of War and Peace. I also cannot say I have been busy, I am just a terribly slow reader and once I get to bed I can only usually keep my eye open for a handful of minutes so the book may take a 2 or 4 page hit each evening.

So the book I have just finished is the Ranulph Fiennes Autobiography, titled “Mad, Bad and Dangerous to know.” I was given this for Christmas from 2 people, so I must have given out a few hints that I would be interested in it. The book has been out for a few years, for some reason I have not got my hands on it before now. I have been really interested to read more about the modest guy who has pretty much made a career out of travelling in some of the most truly awful conditions in the world. Conditions most of us could not even imagine how terrible they would be, being freezing cold not only for a few hours of days but weeks and months at a time.

I watch a spot of Top Gear and Ranulph was on an episode a few years ago. Jeremy Clarkson was interviewing him and picking out some of the records he holds. So reading the book you expect get too read a much more in depth story of each of these incredible records he broke all over the world. What I did not realise is that the exhibitions that were mentioned on the programme was only a handful of what this amazing guy has achieved in his lifetime. All through interviews he seems very laid back about the countless exhibitions he has done and this came across in the book very well too.

If you like me are interested in what a human is capable of, and if you are an athlete like myself and sometimes think you are doing some tough training session or your pushing your body incredibly hard, think again... This will make you re calibrate what is possible when you really dig deep, when you are in the middle of the arctic like Ranulph completely on your own, having fell into the freezing sea. The nearest hospital is hundreds of miles away and there is no taxi or ambulance to come and get you, you really do have to take your hat off to anyone who does this type of challenge, you really truly are on your own. Only when you are in that position can you really see where you can take your body and mind.

If you can get your hands on a copy of this book I am sure everyone would enjoy it. Amazing read!