Book Review: My Next Breath, by Jeremy Renner

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An eye-opening and unconventional Hollywood autobiography of life after near-death and an inspiring journey to recovery and healing, despite the gritty details.

Feature image credit: Simon & Schuster

Jeremy Renner is a household Hollywood name – best known for his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Hawkeye/Clint Barton, as well as Mike McLusky in Mayor of Kingstown and two Mission Impossible movies.

After January 1, 2023, his life would be forever changed when he was the victim of a freak snowcat accident – a snowcat is a massive industrial snowplow, weighing 6,350kgs – which rolled over Renner, as he attempted to stop it from crushing his nephew, Alex.

Renner, obviously, survived the incident and has returned to active acting status. What he pushed himself through to achieve that is the core of this book and his will to live was cemented in only one action (and the title of the book): My Next Breath. During a 45-minute, snow-bound ordeal and for months after, Renner would experience extremes of physical pain, pushing himself to not only recover, but to do so in record time.

My Next Breath is separated into three parts – Incident, Patient, and Recovery. Incident deals with the incident itself and is a collective recollection of what lead to and happened immediately following the incident, the time spent awaiting first responders and the process Renner put himself through to ensure his survival. Patient recounts and recalls Renner’s time in hospital, during which he was (as he describes himself) ‘the world’s worst patient.’ Recovery outlines the routines and psychological methods Renner used to return to the life he nearly lost.

My Next Breath is both a memoir of Renner’s accident and a motivational tale of survival against the odds. Readers be warned, it is not for the faint-hearted – the language and imagery is extreme and confronting, but the ultimate tale is one of true personal heroism and the power of the human spirit.

Reviewed by Glen Christie

The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.