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It is What It Is: The Autobiography
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| Custom Reviews: | |
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| A frank and honest account about life in the fast lane | |
|  | An honest, no nonsense account from an honest, no nonsense man.
This book is easy to read and flows nicely from the boy in rural Scotland to a Monaco residing top racer!
A thoroughly enjoyable read and with rumours of a second 'warts-and-all' edition after DC retires I am looking forward to that one aswell.
| | where's the story and the glory? | |
| | Not much insight into the life and deliberations of the F1 circus I'm afraid. What earns this book the two stars are the first chapters on DC's early years, his childhood, family and bumpy road along the way to the higher formulae.
The words here really bring to life what it was like for a middle class scottish family supporting one of their children in pursuing his ambitions.
However the F1 section is pretty vacant, and for the oldest, most experienced driver on the grid, one feels that the insight, emotions and dealings could have been better explained. I'm not talking about dishing the dirt or blowing the lid on some libellous secrets, but some sort of "colour" is missing. There are a few page-turning chapters, such as the episodes with Mika Hakkinen and Ron Dennis, but I felt the rest of it was a turn-off.
It's altogether too navel gazing and more about DC trying to work out how he should behave or be perceived to be behaving. He's clearly got some psychological issues having been at the pinnacle of the sport for a number of years. The celebrity status that F1 brings clearly doesn't sit well with him, but an autobiography is not the place to explore that.
A good first few chapters, but overall there are better books for F1 fans out there.
| | | Bland, lacking insight and, to be frank, boring. I was really looking forward to this one, after 15 years at the pinnacle of one of the world's most glamorous sports you would imagine he would have one hell of a tale to tell - all I can think is that he is keeping the good stuff for the second edition after he's retired. For a motorsport fan this offers little insight into the cloistered world of F1 - at best it's a mildly interesting documentation of his rise through the ranks (and love of soup and cups of tea) but ultimately it fails to ignite any passion for the subject. Anyone wanting a really entertaining F1 read should check out Eddie Jordan's book - it's everything DC's book isn't. Sorry to be negative, as DC would say (with boring regularity) 'it is what it is'.
| | Not really one for diehard F1 fans | |
| | I used to work in F1 and have been an avid fan of the sport for over thirty years so maybe I expected too much from DC's book, but it really offered very little insight over and above what most followers of the sport might already know. His honesty about his own "insecurities" was interesting, as was the insight into his plane crash and Ron Dennis's favouritism of Mika Hakkinen. In my view the book certainly demonstrates DC's good personality, ethics and commendable values on family and life. But there was so much more he could have divulged, i.e.what really went on behind the scenes at McLaren, in GPDA meetings, what was said in the "clear the air" meeting with Schumacher at Monza after their collision at Spa when DC was accused of trying to kill Michael, etc, etc. I cannot help feeling that there is so much more he could have told, I think people really want to get "inside" the teams and personalities. Maybe as David is still a driver he does not wish to spill too many beans and if so that is a shame.
But there are many interesting insights and for DC fans a real insight into the thoughts and personality behind the man - but I found myself rushing a little to get to the end.
| | | I am not taken to reading sports biographies, but I quite liked this one. David Coulthard (DC) describes his life as a racing driver from kart racing right up to his present job with Red Bull. I shall spare you any extensive review of the book's content, as you can read this up yourself. I read this book in a day largely because I am a fast reader but also because I enjoyed the refreshing style it is written in.
What struck me is, how much determination, drive, an ability to constantly raise money and a bit of luck one needs to make it into Formula One. Although Formula One drivers are more often than not millionaires, most of them appear to start their careers (deeply) in debt. DC is fairly detailed on this ordeal.
The most hilarious bit of the book is where DC is trying to convince the reader that he is not a lady's man. He manages to contradict himself so often that whatever point he was trying to bring across it didn't happen.
This book is lots of fun to read.
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