MY NEXT BREATH : BOOK REVIEW

My Next Breath - A Memoir By Jeremy Renner. Hollywood star Jeremy Renner's memoir is about his miraculous recovery from a horrific accident but is also a meditation on fragility, faith and mortality.

Whether you call it a near-fatal or life-changing accident, one thing's clear : the American actor Jeremy Renner is lucky to be alive.

The accident that occurred on New Year's Day in 2023 would have broken a lesser man, but Renner proved he's not just a tough guy on screen - he's a survivor offscreen as well.

The two-time Oscar nominee recounts the harrowing incident in My Next Breath : A Memoir, a powerful testament to his resilience. 

In his debut as an author, the Avengers and Mission : Impossible star revisits one of Hollywood's most shocking accidents - one that shook his family, friends and fans alike.

According to this book, on that fateful New Year's Day, the Renner clan had gathered at his Lake Tahoe lodge to celebrate the holidays. After a massive storm, the 52-year-old actor and his 22-year-old nephew, Alex, set out to clear the snow.

But the true villain wasn't on screen - it was his 14,000-pound industrial snow-clearing machine, which suddenly went out of control during the clean-up.

He broke more than 38 bones - including six ribs shattered in 14 places - and lost a dangerous amount of blood. At one point, he recalls, he could '' see his left eye with his right.''

If you or someone you know has ever stood on the edge between life and death, you'll connect deeply with Renner's words. 

He takes readers on a journey that begins with a cheerful Renner family gathering and ends with loved ones praying for his life.

The way he describes his brush with death is among the most moving passages you'll read anywhere.

His retelling is not just a gruesome account of what happened that morning, but also a testament to the human spirit's capacity to endure, evolve and find purpose in the face of unimaginable adversity.

The World Students Society thanks Omair Alavi.