Member Reviews
Thank you #Netgalley
This was a great read following the adventures of Bear. I remember watching so many of these episodes with celebrities so it was cool to hear more behind the scenes components, especially with Obama. Also happy to see that he dug his family out of the financial situation and set up a good life for them on the island. Such a strong man both mentally and physically to go through all these experiences and brave enough to share and teach others.
Bear Grylls, the renowned adventurer and survival expert, shares his exhilarating life experiences in his autobiography "Never Give Up: My Life in the Wild." This captivating memoir chronicles Grylls' incredible journey from his early adventures in the British countryside to his breathtaking expeditions across the globe. Grylls' narrative not only provides a thrilling account of his daring escapades but also offers valuable insights into resilience, determination, and the indomitable human spirit.
In "Never Give Up," Grylls takes readers on a riveting exploration of his most harrowing encounters with nature, recounting gripping tales of survival in some of the world's most treacherous landscapes. From scaling towering peaks to navigating unforgiving terrains, Grylls' unwavering courage and resourcefulness are nothing short of inspiring. Moreover, the book delves into Grylls' personal struggles and the pivotal moments that shaped his unwavering commitment to never giving up, no matter the odds.
Through his compelling prose and remarkable anecdotes, Grylls imparts invaluable life lessons that resonate deeply with readers. His unwavering determination, perseverance, and unwavering optimism serve as a beacon of hope and motivation for anyone facing adversity. "Never Give Up" is a testament to the human capacity for resilience and serves as a source of empowerment for those seeking to overcome their own challenges.
Great book with some overall solid life advice. It was well written and laid out. Definitely one to pick up if you have someone in your life that enjoys a more rugged, survivalist mindset.
I'm late to the game when it comes to Bear Grylls. I used to think he was a bit overrated, an exaggeration of what a survival guy really is. But somewhere along the way, I fell for his charms and got to understand (and admire) Bear.
So, obviously, I jumped at the chance to read this book. And I was not disappointed. I've always enjoyed his laid back yet entertaining writing style. I did like the short chapters, but the book was a bit disjointed, jumping around so much in time and place. But you know what...that's a lot like Bear in general and it worked here. The stories and adventures were fascinating and he's such a genuine and likeable guy. Some parts of the book dragged but overall, I really enjoyed this one.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I adore Bear Grylls as a person. He always seems to incorporate his life lessons and realistic views of who he is and what he is doing. I appreciate this about him. I have seen episodes of his various shows and think that they are incredible and entertaining. This book offers a reflection on that process but then more so with the second half discussing other aspects of his life.
I think my favorite part of the writing was the incorporation of snippets of his relationships with his family and the people that he has worked with on different projects, as well as the real risks that they took while filming the shows. He has an authentic voice that comes through in his writing. With that said, my critiques are that the formatting was awful, making it difficult to read the eARC on Kindle. That has nothing to do with the content of the book but was distracting. I have seen the final copy and it does not have any of this and includes photos.
The other critique is that the chapters roughly contained different themes, but felt more like an ongoing interview or sit down chat that led to writing down the stories, without enough editing to put everything about a single topic together. It felt like this was not done to emphasize a point but just how the information came out when chatting with someone. This works in a conversation (and the audiobook maybe better suited for this style) but not as well in a memoir.
Overall, I enjoyed this and would recommend it to memoir lovers or people who have enjoyed his work and want more background into various events during filming and information about other work and life for the author.
#NeverGiveUp #NetGalley #NationalGeographic
As a fan of Bear Grylls, I enjoyed reading his book, Never Give Up. I love his sense of adventure and his positivity. Each chapter is short and not a continuity from the previous chapter. But it gives you great insight on how Bear got started in television, behind the scenes info and his personal and family life. If you are a fan of Bear Grylls, this is definitely a book you'll want to pick up and read. I'd like to listen to the audiobook as he narrates it himself!
Thank you Netgalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.
This was definitely interesting. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was in the mood to read it but taking that into consideration, I think it's a good book!
Thank you, Netgalley and the author/publisher, for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this book. This in no way affects my review, all opinions are my own.
Sooo, since I read the book the day it was published, I read the book in ebook and audiobook format. What I love is that BG narrates his own book. It's always a more personal touch for me when autobiographies are read by the authors themselves. In this case, the book was even more appealing to me since BG has a British accent ;-) This book was fun to read. BG takes us to the drawing board and behind the scenes of his shows and lets us learn more about the people that have had an impact in his life such as his wife.
Never Give Up
by Bear Grylls
Pub Date: March 1, 2022
National Geographic
Never Give Up: My Life in the Wild by Bear Grylls is a wonderful memoir of some of the events and experiences in the fascinating life of adventurist, Bear Grylls.
Thanks to National Geographic and NetGalley for the ARC.
This book covers three aspects of Bear's life: Bear the adventurer, Bear the businessman and Bear the family man. The first half was snappy and entertaining but the second became slow and repetitive.
3 stars
I really enjoyed this memoir detailing the life and experiences of the author. I love his tv shows so I jumped at the chance to read this and I was not disappointed. Not only did we get to read of his adventures but we also got a glimpse into his family life and of that being a businessman. Highly recommend
Bear Grylls is pretty much The Man, amirite? He is (seemingly) fearless, and willing to do just about anything—and on camera, to boot. I would be running the other way from some of these things, and if you’d like that on camera too, that is just fine with me, haha!
The read is more a collection of stories than a continuous narrative, and I expected more of the latter. I’ve not read his first autobiography, which this one kind of continues, so can’t speak to if it simply continues that writing style or not. But, that does mean the reader could easily skip around from chapter to chapter based on their own interests, rather than read it chronologically, and that’s kind of nice!
There’s a bit of language and some crudity; that aside, I found myself chuckling repeatedly at some of the stories and shaking my head in turn at Grylls’ shenanigans. Entertaining and amusing.
4/5 stars.
I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
It was a fun read. Some of the stories were a little more disturbing than others, but that is to be expected from what he's done on his show for survival purposes. He tells it how it is and I can respect that, still better him than me. If you have enjoyed following Bear and his journey you will like this book. It is also written in a way that you can read it at your own pace if you don't have a lot of time they are short chapters.
Never Give Up: My Life in the Wild by Bear Grylls is a wonderful memoir of some of the events and experiences in the fascinating life of adventurist, Bear Grylls.
I just loved this memoir of Mr. Grylls. Part antidotes, part memoir, and part musings…this is a great collection of memories, inspirations, adventures, experiences, and reflections of the famous traveler, adventurer, and survivalist.
It was entertaining, unique, enjoyable, and the pages flew by. I loved watching his show, and this just brought back so many memories of watching this awesome man with my own family growing up.
Highly recommend for anyone that loves his show or anyone that enjoys world travels.
5/5 stars
Thank you NG and National Geographic for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 3/1/22.
I always enjoy reading Grylls books. I always get so much out of them, and no matter what they are inspirational. The most important he stresses is never give up.
When Bear Grylls first started out I was not a fan - I thought his work was fake and all staged. Since then I have become a fan of all of his recent shows and love everything he does. I am so glad I picked up this book because I got a peek inside to why he was portrayed in such a way in his past roles/shows which was quite in the unfavorable way. This book also goes through all the amazing people he has interacted with in his most recent shows - and it was amazing to read, especially about Obama!! Highly recommend. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Bear Grylls is the iconic adventurer and survivalist star of Man vs Wild and the more recent Running Wild. Never Give Up is his latest book. It’s told in a folksy down to earth manner, often in a stream of consciousness manner rather than in a structured manner. You get his tall tales about biting the heads off snakes and drinking his own urine to survive. You get his philosophical musings and his can-do attitude and more of a sense of who he is as a person than you get in the television series. And you could basically open up any page at random and enjoy his stories and asides.
Sorry, but the book was not readable after I sent it to the Kindle. The rendering made the text very erronours. I would be happy to review a readable version. Consider providing protected ePub or other formats.
I'm interested in all kinds of biographies so I requested this without knowing anything about Bear Grylls. I can definitely recommend this book to beginners as it made me immediately track down as many episodes of his show as possible. Grylls is known as a survivalist who heads into impossibly harsh conditions and this book is mostly about him taking other celebrities (think Hollywood A-list and world leaders) into genuinely dangerous situations. I thought this book was fascinating, gripping and it clearly made me want to know more- thoroughly recommend.