Hawk

As skateboarders go, only Bart Simpson is more renowned, which makes Tony Hawk the most famous human on four small wheels ever, and in Hawk: Occupation: Skateboarder the icon takes us on a full-on thrash through his life to date--from his first rock'n'rolls to "that" trail-blazing 900--and talks candidly about what life as a pro has been like.

A hyper-active California brat, who found an outlet for his manic will to win--and an escape from High School bullying--down at the skatepark, little Tony became Hawk, and a pile of competition wins and signature moves later, finds himself knee-deep in endorsement dollars, hurtling round the world on a non-stop lipslide to superstardom. Sounds like fun? Of course it does, but remember, children, Hawk's How to know if you're a skateboarder, rule 5--you wake up in an ambulance with your front teeth missing.

Ligaments are usually torn, or at least a few inches longer than nature intended. I knew one skater who asked his doctor if his ankle should be able to move around "Like this". He then proceeded to bend his ankle to the side, and his ankle bone (that little ball on the side) split in two--his ligament had been torn in half years ago. The doctor started laughing.

There's no doubt that a gradually disintegrating body played some part in his decision to retire from competition--that and the moronic demands of the money men and the legions of fans for whom extreme skateboarding is just the latest MTV thrill, rather than a way of life--but the bottom line according to Hawk is that all the business of being number one was just background noise anyway.

The chronological "Hawk's tricks" directory is a nice touch, and reads like a history of the sport itself, but despite the meaty portion of the book given over to pictures, newcomers will be none the wiser about how he does it. This isn't an instruction book by any means: more of a "why to" than a "how to"--with Hawk strong on the joys of being in the international brotherhood of the board--and seasoned skateboarders will revel in this affirmation. --Alex Hankin

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Brill - Rated
One word- Fantastic. I bought this book excpeting, well, i didnt know what to expect. I mean how interesting is a skateboarders life? I presumed. But me being a non-boarder, nor a Tony Hawk fan, nor even living in the 80's i found the book highly enjoyable. In the end i didnt care about his accomplishments and ambitions i was just amazed by his brilliant ability to stimulate and make the reader want to read on with his great humour and blunt, down-to-earth onlook on life.

excellent book on skateboarding history and present - Rated
Tony Hawk has never been a cult skate figure such as Mark Gonzalez, Neil Blender, Matt Hensley, Danny Way and Christian Hosoi. His autobiography however is the first of its kind and deals with all aspects of tony hawks career such as Tonys Skate style which was laughed at in the early days, to his rise to fame through pro-skating and building of his own skate company birdhouse. If you skated in the 80s and 90s you HAVE to read this book there is no choice in the matter! excellent nostalgia and skate history!

brilliant - Rated
this book is brilliant, some of it will make you squint, some will make you laugh and some will make you cry. I recommend this book to everyone.

a fantastic book, even if you don't sk8! - Rated
I'm not much of a fan of biographies, even if they are by people I greatly admire, but this book sets a new standard in both biographies and sports writing. It's written with a grace & fluidity matched only by the man's skating abilities. I would recommend you buy this book even if you dont skate. Maybe it'll make you want to start (or at least have a little respect for those of us who do).

Great read, just not long enough - Rated
Tony brings his midas touch to an autobiographical account of his life. This book has a lot of bad points if you don't skate but for me it was fantastic