From a "New York Times"-bestselling author comes the riveting new biography that pulls back the red, white, and blue cape on a cultural icon--and reveals the unknown, complex, and controversial man known to millions around the world as Evel Knievel.

Robert "Evel" Knievel is one of the most unique heroes to earn a place in the collective psyche of this country. A high school dropout, an award-winning athlete, a petty thief, a motorcycle racer, and a political activist, Knievel earned his nickname because of his unlawful activities early in his life but rode that name to fame by consistently tempting death in the public eye. With a showman's panache and a madman's daring, he has risen-along with...

He soars over snarling cougars and crates of poisonous snakes. Hurtles rows of buses and slams through walls of flame. Defies precipitous canyons and ornate hotel fountains. Garners wealth, fame and a spot in the Guinness Book of Records - his record was set by breaking 35 bones. Decked out in red, white and blue and exuding bravado, Evel goes through decades-spanning story of the hard-living, steel-straddling man who went to daredevil extremes long...

"A generation of Americans grew up worshipping self-styled hero Evel Knievel, watching him every Saturday on Wide World of Sports and buying his ideal toys. For producer/subject Johnny Knoxville and so many others, he was the ultimate antidote to the disenchantment of the 70's. But few knew the incredible and often complex aspects of his epic life, which, like his jumps, was sometimes glorious and sometimes disastrous. With an entire genre of sports...