Audiobook Review: My Next Breath by Jeremy Renner
My Next Breath
Author: Jeremy Renner
Narrator: Jeremy Renner
Published: April 29, 2025
Audiobook: 6 hours 35 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: June 30- July 3, 2025
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
The gripping and inspiring story of acclaimed actor Jeremy Renner’s near-fatal accident, and what he learned about inner strength, endurance and hope as he overcame insurmountable odds to recover, one breath at a time.
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 snowcat 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.
Jessica’s Review:
This memoir starts with an essay that Jeremy Renner’s daughter Ava wrote for school. He also admits in his author’s note that he did not want to write this book as he did not want to relive and recount the accident. It seems like Renner should not be alive today, but thankfully he is and we can hear him tell his story of what happened on January 1, 2023; the day of the accident.
I listened to the audiobook that Renner also narrated. You can hear the emotion that occasionally comes through as he narrates, obviously remembering that experience. Renner gives the gritty details of the accident and his fight for survival. The actual 911 call is shared throughout the book. The listener gets to hear this call and amazingly how calm everyone seems to be, all while you can hear Renner moaning and struggling to breathe in the background.
The title of this memoir is very significant as Renner brings up breathing and breath throughout his memoir. The listener also hears how important the love of his family is to him. It was this love that helped him to get through everything that he did.
Renner also gives information on his background and recovery. His recovery was seemingly quick for the devastating damage that happened to his body. I also got a sense of the kind of person that Renner is, and he is one very stubborn person, but that also seemingly helped in his recovery. Renner is non-religious so there is no thanking God or finding God in this memoir. Renner also repeats himself a lot, is very descriptive with his injuries, and does drop the ’f-bomb’ throughout the novel.
My Next Breath may have been a book that Renner did not want to write, but I am glad he did. This is a powerful memoir that shows how much love and determination can help a person to fight for himself and heal.
After listening or reading this book, Google what a snowcat looks like and it will be even more apparent how Renner should not have survived, but is still hear for a reason. This is a powerful five-star memoir.