The Mutt: How to Skateboard and Not Kill Yourself

by Rodney Mullen and Sean Mortimer

Book Overview

The world-champion freestyle skateboarder and the man who brought the ollie - the trick that revolutionised the sport by taking it from the ground to the air - to street skating shares the history of skateboarding, as he tells the dramatic story of his life. At the age of 13, Rodney took the freestyle skating world by storm. He won 35 world titles in less than five years. But through it all, his father looked down on his son's love for skating and pressured him to walk away from the sport and leave behind his fans and status as the most famous skateboarder of his era. After years of stress and conflict, Rodney gave in and promised his father he'd quit for good. But by the time he finally broke free from his suffocating and abusive home life, the popularity of freestyle had waned and given way to vert and street styles. So Rodney picked up his board and started from scratch. With the help of mentor Mike Ternansky, Rodney used his freestyle background to usher in a whole new era of street skating. Today Rodney is more popular than ever. The videos in his series Rodney Versus Daewon are among the most popular skateboard videos ever produced. He won the 2002 Transworld Skateboarding readers' choice award for favourite street skater and is the most popular character on the top-selling Tony Hawk's Pro Skater video games.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060556196
• ISBN13: 9780060556198
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: It Books
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

wow

i am a skateboarder and i normally do not read books. the past week, i could not put down "mutt-how to skateboard and not kill yourself". this book grabbed a hold of me and did not let go. Rodney Mullen and Sean Mortimer have done a phenomonal job keeping the reader interested in this book that tells an amazing story of an amazing person.

"The Mutt" is a must read

As a native Floridian it is cool to read about someone from Florda that has mabe a grave impact on the skateboarding world. I am a 11 year skater and have been a big fan of Rodney Mullen for a long time. This book should be on the shelves and coffee tables of every skater around the world.

The Most Important book on Skateing you shall ever read!

This is the story of Rodney Mullen, the most important street/freestyle skater ever. In this book you read about his life, from his birth, to first skateboard, to winning the world championship in freestyle. You will also read about how he started four of the most known skate companies ever; Enjoi, Almost, World Industries, and Tensor Truck co.. Included in this book is his story of growing up with a father that made his children give up there favorite pass times to pursue the fathers dreams of growing up succesfully. This is, no doubt, the most important book on skaeting ever; From Rodney Mullen inveting the flat ground ollie (or just ollie) to making the 'magic flip' (kickflip) to then creating of 30 of todays most popular tricks.

Not just for skate fans

What a great story. For those of you who don't know, Rodney Mullen is arguably the most influential and important skater in modern street skating. This story isn't so much about a misfit becoming one the greatest skaters of all time, as it is about a person's struggle to win the respect and love of a demanding and intimidating father, who can't accept him for who he is. This is a sad, courageous, and inspiring story that is most of all, a very human story. A very quick read that's hard to put down. There's not a boring page to be found.