Bode: Go Fast, Be Good, Have Fun

by Bode Miller, Jack McEnany

“I don’t master the mountain, I master speed.” Coming from Bode Miller, this isn’t boasting, it’s just the way he fast, honest, and wide open. In this candid book, the two-time Olympic medalist and champion skier shares his story, the secret of his success, and his philosophy of life.

Born and raised “off the grid”–without electricity or indoor plumbing–in the cabin built by his father in the woods near Franconia, New Hampshire (pop. 850), Bode is unconventional to the core. The strong values of his simple upbringing, where he and his family had to “invent, grow, or carry in” all the essentials have made Bode unique among today’s top sports stars.
Bode’s approach to life is “Get a plan, stick to it, and trust your instincts . . . and almost anything is possible.”

And practically since birth, the iconoclastic Bode has been achieving the impossible and laying down tracks for others to follow. He revolutionized his sport by adopting new and crossover technologies, such as “shape” skis. He drives his tradition-bound European rivals to distraction, skiing and winning by instinct. His outsider status, killer smile, and outspoken yet laid-back persona have earned him a reputation as the Michael Jordan of skiing. Men’s Journal named Bode the second greatest athlete in the world. And in the 2005 season, Bode may have moved up a notch by becoming the first American to win the Overall World Cup Alpine championship in twenty-two years.


In short, he is the kind of person everybody wants to know and hang out with. In a book loaded with insight, good humor, and eye-opening stories about the world of competitive skiing, Bode, as always, holds nothing back.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Kevin Swick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible mindset. Lives with high conviction and clarity about who he is and what he believes in.

[Daniel Stedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Bode. He's probably my favorite athlete, and here's why: When you are a kid, you're coach in any sport tells you that what really matters is that you tried hard and had fun. Bode didn't abandon that when he grew up and people started expecting things of him. That's rare, to say the least.
His 2006 Olympic controversy (which was after this book) illustrates another reason why I love Bode: He doesn't care why you, me, the Press, his fans, his coaches, or anyone else thinks he's an idiot or a jerk or a loser or smug or whatever. He's having fun. He's having more fun that most people could ever imagine. You're just jealous.

This book is mostly about how he got to that point. It's about his hilarious hippie childhood, his life lessons learned in leading up to being one of the best in the world, and a little bit about his pro successes.

It was a fast, good, and fun read.
If you're expecting to get super-analytical and well written philosophy out of an athlete, you're kidding yourself. Especially if you know anything about Bode.

I only give it three stars because even with a co-writer it reads like it was dictated by a pro athlete. That is to say, it's just kind of dumb at times.
Also, Bode really pulls some punches by throwing around some praise for the USA program and talking about loving winning for them and not letting people down, which obviously he didn't mean. After the shit-storm came his way following his 06 interviews, he left the team completely and competed as an independent, like he was his own country. The latter being a much more Bode thing to do than the former.

All in all I liked it. Bode started his career crashing out of the vast majority of his races because he refused to slow down or live within his limits. A maniac. He's got a great and grand personality, in my opinion, and it's good to know more about him.

[Phyllis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! I read it because my 9-year old daughter was reading it for a book report for school. Bode has great qualities that you don't tend to hear about in Olympic and World Class athletes. There is something to be said about having fun in your lifetime while still being good to yourself and others.

[Kallie~ Can'tLive-WithOrWithoutYou · Rating 5 out of 5]

So awesome, I've gone skiing on the same hill as Bode, and the distance between where he grew up and where I grew up, is about 50 miles or less. Best skier ever!

[Dino Boissonneault]

This book is about the experiences of Bode Miller's life, from when he was born, till present day. Bode explains his childhood and his experiences with the north country. In the beginning of the book he describes his grandfather's life and how his grandfather met his wife, and eventually moves to New Hampshire. Bodie explains how he grew up with little money, and in a rural part of the state. Bodie continues to write about his upbringing into ski racing and how that led him to go to Carrabassett Valley Academy and eventually to the US Ski Team. Bodie has three siblings that share the same interests as him and continue to support him through his career.

I personally enjoyed this book, even though it gets off to a slow start it has some good details that are portrayed later in the book. It is not the best righting I have read but I certainly enjoyed it. Through the book Bode gives his opinion on a variety of subjects, such as the school system and coaching involved with ski racing. I think Bode was trying to get his point across on many different topics that personally made a inconvenience in his life. It is very easy to relate to things he sees, and I'm sure many other ski racers think the same. For example, he had many coaches that put his self esteem down, and told him that he will never make it on the US Ski Team. If you have not read this book yet I greatly recommend it, but you will have to be patient because it does not particularly start off as a page turner. Bodie did not start off as a confident kid, but as he got better at ski racing he started to become more independent with his decisions, and grew his self esteem. As he grew older Bode explains how he found his sense of self with the help of his career.

I would recommend this book to all ski racers, and skiers because you can definitely relate two of what he is saying when it comes to how hard, and how committed you have to be in order to be a ski racer. This book definitely goes into the topics of coaching when it comes to ski racing, and how hard it is to find the right person for the job, which is good because it makes all ski racers consider if their coaches are right for them. Untimely this book teaches great lessons about the process of ski racing, and the determination that comes with it.

[Jake Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read. Didn't know much about Bode prior to reading the biography. The cadence of the writing through his family generations laid a proper foundation for understanding the kid beneath all that ski gear. His confidence enabled him to "ski his own way" instead of conforming to the classical style of skiing in an academic sense. While I didn't find that I could relate much to his overall approach to training and sport in general, I did find it to be valuable to observe a new perspective, especially one that has garnered so much success in Bode's case.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bode Miller has been my favorite ski racer since I started ski racing many years ago. When I found out he wrote a book, I had to read it. I was not disappointed. It’s all him, no holding back. Great read for a ski fan.

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Ryan Blanchette]

Recommended feb-24 on podcast. Looks entertaining and probably useful on Amazon

[Kira · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 really. Writing is not great. All over the place but his upbringing is fascinating which is why I wanted to read it in the first place.

[Tb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this is a fun way to have insight into the famed US Olympic skier. It is not such a surprise that his Olympic performance happened as it did once you know a bit more about what makes Bode tick.

p. 215 "I'm a citizen of the United States of America, and to me that means that life's purpose is the pursuit of happiness - 'pursuit' being the operative word. Happiness isn't an excuse to slack; it's an opportunity to be your best, to create a life's work, to make your mark. If this is news to you, then it's definitely time to get off your ass and do something extraordinary. Happiness awaits."

[Carlyclifton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning of this book was really slow, going through the family history. The middle was race after race and results after results. But the end of the book was very inspiring. Bode is a very unique and interesting athlete and there is a lot to be learned from him. Especially his ability to block everyone out of his mind and just do his what he believe in, and in the manner in which he believes them to be done.

[Jane C. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was most interested in how he grew up and how he views the world, and the book didn't disappoint. With all due respect, his attitude about both things became grating because he feels so superior. Particularly about education; he deplores the public school system. But not all parents are able or capable of being teachers. And not all kids grow up in an area that is safe enough for them to wonder about alone.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not particularly well written. The book jumps all over the place, but definitely paints a good picture of what Bode's life is/was like.

I've always been a strong supporter of how great a skier Bode is, but this book didn't particularly back-up those reasonings.

[Bart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful surprise. It eschews the usual jock idiocy - traditionally held to the lowest possible standard of insightfulness - for a playful voice. It's the rarest of all sports autobiographies: One the reader wishes were longer.

[Bob Peru · Rating 4 out of 5]

funny! bode himself oughtta read it. better than average sports "autobiography." i love bode.

[Edward H. Busse, III · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bode Miller - in his heyday, there was hardly a skier on the FIS World Cup that could beat him. This book delves into his youth, family, training, attitude - overall good insight into his world.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read!

[Steven · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was the first (and hopefully only) book I put down before finishing it. Unfortunately Bode, it's not worth the time!

[Heidi Lupo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will always be a Bode fan!

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

You gotta love him!

[Lindy Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read about my cats namesake! Really enjoyed this read. Bode is a fun and fascinating guy.