Just Don't Fall - Book Review

A few years ago I stumbled upon Josh Sundquist, a YouTuber, amputee, and motivational speaker. It wasn’t long before I found myself reading his autobiography, Just Don’t Fall. I wanted to read it to learn more about the guy, but the book itself is actually really good.

Autobiographical books that tell and not show are generally not only publishable but acceptable as well— they’re nonfiction. They supposedly don’t have to take you through a flowing, poetic novel that draws you in. A lot of autobiographies I’ve read haven’t quite mastered the “show—don’t tell” rule, and are a borderline list of facts that coincide events in the author’s life.

And readers accept that. It’s alright—they aren’t a writer. They are a soldier or a songwriter or, in this case, a Paralympic skier that doesn't need the tools to be a successful writer, because they are interesting enough without sublime skills to draw people in. Using the book for a research paper, perhaps that’s okay. But as an enjoyable novel, that’s not what anyone likes to read.

Just Don’t Fall is aptly a national bestseller—it stands out amongst autobiographies. Not only is his book a good story, but it’s good writing, too. It brings the author to a down-to-earth and relatable level as just a little kid worrying about girls and bullies.

Plus, in a much more subtle way, the story pulls a slight Flowers for Algernon in that he starts narrating the story as a wide-eyed six-year-old that sees the world as his playground and goes all the way into his twenties, where he develops a stronger voice, vocabulary, and knowledge as his naiveté dissipates.

With a read through of Just Don’t Fall, Josh Sundquist soon became my best friend who went through childhood cancer, lost a leg, saw the cup as half full, and filled it to the top as he became a Paralympic skier and motivational speaker, hurtling over every obstacle life threw at him.

Sliding through the embarrassing, awkward, hilarious, heavyhearted, blessed, and awesome parts of the author’s life, Just Don’t Fall breaks the autobiographical mold and is genuinely a great read. His new book, We Should Hangout Sometime, drops in the Fall of 2014, and I have incredibly high hopes.