I think we can all agree just by looking at the cover that this guy is crazy. Not only is he on a tightrope wire, but he is walking over Niagara Falls, for Pete's sake. I'm afraid of heights, and even living vicariously through him in this book was a bit much for me sometimes.
I'll be honest up front. As far as biographies go, this is not the best one I've ever read. The writing was simple and the font was big. It looked like they were stretching to get it to take up 200 pages. It's not a great work of literature.
I'll be honest up front. As far as biographies go, this is not the best one I've ever read. The writing was simple and the font was big. It looked like they were stretching to get it to take up 200 pages. It's not a great work of literature.
And yet I gained such respect for Nik Wallenda in reading his autobiography. The Wallendas are a family of circus performers that goes back seven generations. Nik's great-grandfather, Karl, was the first to make the Wallenda name popular in America. Through hardship and tragedy, the Wallendas have struggled on. And Nik has made it his mission to make the Wallenda family a household name once again. He strives to inspire others to follow their dreams, as he has followed his. And he achieves these goals by walking on wires in really high places. He has gone across Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon (well, technically a smaller, adjacent canyon, but still pretty impressive). Most recently, he has set the record for an incline high-wire walk and walked between two towers in Chicago blindfolded.
Nik's faith in God pervades the book. He is honest about his struggles and his efforts to become a better person. He gives the glory to God for everything that has happened in his life. My favorite example of this was his walk across Niagara Falls. He spent the entire time praising God for this opportunity and His beautiful creation. Because the walk was televised, he had a microphone on so he could occasionally chat with the reporters. He didn't realize until afterwards that the mike was on the entire time, and his prayers had also been broadcast. What an awesome witness.
This review would not be complete without the chance to witness some of his crazy stunts for yourself. So here are 3 videos, showing his walks across Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon, as well as the blindfolded walk in Chicago.
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