Reviews

J.R.: My Life as the Most Outspoken, Fearless, and Hard-Hitting Man in Hockey by Jeremy Roenick

ablotial's review against another edition

3.0

Ok, so this book is never going to win any literary prizes, but that's not the point. The "chapters" are only loosely so... he goes off on tangents and changes topic in rapid-fire succession. Points from previous chapters are returned to many times over.

But it was still a great read. I mean, I didn't get this book for his eloquent prose!

I learned a ton. I actually didn't realize that they players don't get paid for the post-season, that surprised me. And getting JR's take on some of the players and coaches, his thoughts on the Coyotes franchise, playing for Gretzky ... was all fascinating. I shared a lot of little tidbits with my husband as I read. Definitely a must read for hockey fans!

ajsmith_7's review against another edition

4.5

The journey of my favourite Ice Hockey player of all time is a fascinating read that not only covers Roenicks career but also gives great insight into what it was like to be an NHL player during my favourite era of the game, the late 80's to late 90's, chock full of familiar names, great stories of on-ice highs and lows and hilarious anecdotes of off-ice hijinks and drama.
Fully recommend this book to anyone who is an Ice Hockey fan in general. If you're a Jeremy Roenick fan then you've probably already read it.

tabatha_shipley's review against another edition

3.0

I am an avid hockey fan. I know Jeremy Roenick as the Phoenix Coyotes player. My knowledge of his history and backstory was severely limited.

This story will give you insight into the world of professional hockey. It will certainly give you background on Jeremy Roenick. He does name drop other hockey players a lot. If you're interested in great hockey names and stories about them, this is a great book for you.

Recommended for all serious hockey fans.

jeffphilly's review against another edition

5.0

I love JR's honesty and forthrightness. He is as always just telling it as it is. In this book he tells the story of how he became an NHL superstar. He starts in his childhood, goes on through high school, his brief foray into NCAA hockey and lastly his partial year in the QMJHL before getting called up to play for the Chicago Blackhawks. He was always so upfront in his days as a player, and that style just continues with the writing of this book. Parts of this book are especially funny, owing in large part too JR's forthright personality. As always, JR is just going to tell you how it is and isn’t going to hold anything back. Classic JR style.

lberestecki's review against another edition

3.0

Because any book about hockey will entertain me, this gets 3 Stars, but that's a little generous. The book could have used some serious editing - at times the organization didn't make a ton of sense, and it felt a little bit like Roenick just ranted stories at his ghostwriter and then the ghostwriter transcribed it. He also didn't come off as very likable (maybe I'm a little biased because he's a BC deserter, but that was before my time so not really). I understand the "entertainment" aspect of his persona, and that does sell sports. But there's also a line between being honest / "real" and just being kind of a jerk. I particularly thought it was tacky to call out certain players that he didn't like in his book. It's also definitely clear reading his story that he has a big ego.

I think people who are fans of Roenick's persona will love this book, but as someone who prefers the Jerry York school of hockey, he just rubbed me the wrong way.

windingdot's review against another edition

4.0

I'm a hypocrite, because I'm always complaining about how pro athletes speak in the same mind-numbing cliches all the time. But the first time one DOES show some spark of personality, I usually decide he's a douchebag, should be more humble, etc., etc. And as such, I've never been the world's biggest Jeremy Roenick fan. But when the biggest library system in our area joined a consortium with my library, I scoured the catalog for hockey books I haven't yet read, and this is one of the ones I borrowed. It's a quick read - I read it in a day. I wouldn't say that after reading it, I feel like I wish J.R. and I were best buds. Yeah, he's still a bit of an arrogant douche. But it's an engaging read, seemingly pretty open and honest about his life and career, so I feel a bit warmer towards him than I did before. As "as-told-to" sports memoirs go, this is pretty good. I'd recommend it to hockey fans, even if they're not especially Roenick fans.

read_watch_sarah's review

4.0

Not the most well written book I've ever read, but it was entertaining!