A Story of Survival and Family

My Next Breath by Jeremy Renner

My Next Breath by Jeremy Renner

Published: April 29, 2025 by Flatiron Books

Buy this book at: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

Book synopsis:

Two-time Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner was the second most googled person in 2023… and not for his impressive filmography. His searing portrayals on film ranged from an Iraq-based army bomb technician in The Hurt Locker and a Boston bank robber in The Town to a crooked Camden mayor in American Hustle before he became heir to the Jason Bourne franchise (The Bourne Legacy). Amongst other iconic roles, he also captured hearts as fan-favorite comic book marksman Hawkeye in seven Marvel films.

Yet, his otherworldly success on-screen faded to the periphery when a fourteen-thousand-pound snowplow crushed him on New Year’s Day 2023. Somehow able to keep breathing for more than half an hour, he was subsequently rushed to the ICU, after which he would face multiple surgeries and months of painful rehabilitation.

In this debut memoir, Jeremy writes in blistering detail about his accident and the aftermath. This retelling is not merely a gruesome account of what happened to him; it’s a call to action and a forged companionship between reader and author as Jeremy recounts his recovery journey and reflects on the impact of his suffering. Ultimately, Jeremy’s memoir is a testament to the human spirit and its capacity to endure, evolve, and find purpose in the face of unimaginable adversity. His writing captures the essence of profound transformation, exploring the delicate interplay between vulnerability and strength, despair and hope, redemption and renewal.

Star Rating:

Review:

When I sat down to listen to this audiobook, I didn’t know quite what to expect. I was a fan of Jeremy Renner and obviously I knew about his accident. But I had no idea what to expect from this book. Jeremy Renner narrates the audiobook, which was exactly the right choice. He injects the emotion necessary to effectively tell this story. Who else could tell the story in the same way, other than the person who experienced it?

The first half of this book focuses solely on what Renner was doing at this remote home and his family. They were on a Christmas vacation and ended up caught in a blizzard. Snowed in over the Christmas and New Years holidays. The day of the accident was the first day that it wasn’t snowing and there was a slight hope that they may be able to leave the home. They needed some grocery supplies after being snowed in for a few days. Which brings us to the crux of this memoir. Renner and his nephew were trying to plow the snow off the driveway so that someone could try and navigate to the store. As Renner tells the story he made a mistake and ended up falling out of the Snowcat. He saw that his nephew was in the path of the plow and made a decision to attempt to jump back into the cab. This is when everything went horribly wrong, He ended up underneath it instead. And suddenly he finds himself face down in the snow with a 14,000 pound snow plow running over the length of his body.

The details of his injuries are graphic and he doesn’t shy away from that. Several times I found it necessary to pause and collect myself. The rawness that he injects into the story is profound. And most of the time he focuses on his family. The things his nephew had to see. The horror at what the family is going to tell his daughter. Praying that no one brings his daughter outside the house, he doesn’t want her to see. And most of all, focusing on not dying. As Renner tells the story, he willed himself into taking just one more breath. Over and over again. For the entire 40 minutes that it took for emergency services to reach him. It was a brutal story. I think the details of it will stick with me for a long time.

The second half of the story was about his stay in the hospital and his recovery. Again, there is a very heavy focus on his family and how they were all affected by his accident. He also expresses a lot of regret for the manner in which he treated hospital staff. As he puts it, he was an asshole. Based on his description of his actions, I can’t disagree. However, I would be unwilling to pass judgment on him since I can’t ever know what it’s like to almost die and be recovering slower than you hoped. That has to be incredibly frustrating. While it doesn’t excuse poor treatment of hospital staff, I can’t say that I would never react the same in similar circumstances.

Overall, I can’t recommend this memoir enough. It was gripping, emotional, real, traumatic, and hopeful. I would venture to say that this book will make my top 10 list for the year.