Rudy

Rudy – My Story
Written by Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger
Published at Thomas Nelson

About the book

The inspirational real-life story of the man behind the beloved movie Rudy, his continued determination to make his dreams come true, and how you can dream big too.

How does a lower middle class kid, who suffered through school with undiagnosed dyslexia, get into Notre Dame and become the inspiration for millions in a Hollywood film that has become one of the most inspiring sport movies ever made? He never gave up.

For the first time, read Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger's real life story and learn the behind-the-scenes details of the ten years it took to make the movie and how that tossed him into a new career of public speaking that continues on stages today alongside world-class leaders and speakers.

Divided into four parts, each include details of the failures and hard lessons he's learned along the way and how hitting the reset button was often the best thing that ever happened to him:

• Growing up one of 14 kids in Joliet, a brief stint in the Navy opens a new world of opportunity and dreams
• Rudy finds a side door into Notre Dame where in a legendary moment he becomes one of only a few players in school history to be carried off the field
• The struggle to find a career after college leads him to his new impossible dream, to get a movie made about his life story
• Launched into a new world, Rudy finds his true calling as an inspirational speaker and reveals how losing site of his own dreams nearly derails him, but how once again, in learning another of life's most important lessons, he finds a reason to hope again—through the eyes of the next generation of Rudys

Rudy doesn't represent some far-fetched Hollywood fantasy that most people can never attain—the power of his story comes from the fact that at heart he's just an “Average Joe.” The moral is that anyone with a dream can make that dream a reality—as long as they’re willing to put in the hard work, and heart, it takes to get there.

My Thoughts

I have seen the movie.  Actually, we own it and honestly I can’t wait to get my kids see it.   It is a very inspirational movie and I highly recommend it to anyone.   So when I had the opportunity to review the book, I couldn’t resist because I enjoyed the movie and also because I love auto-biographies.    I was also curious about it because my husband knows that he has dyslexia and we have one son who seems to be struggling with it.   Reading about the hardships and how Rudy was able to advance in life with his “disability”  is inspiring and thought provoking.

I want my son to be able to do what he wants to do.   I am very thankful for the opportunity of homeschooling him.   I have a sense that he has advanced more at home than he would have had at school.   At least here, he can advance at his own pace, revise when needed, have private lessons if needed.   He can fluently read in his Bible or a comic book.  Sometimes he will be interested in other type of literature like anything that is Star Wars or Lego.   My husband is in awe because he himself graduated without being able to read as good as our son is right now.     He sees the difference of homeschooling is making in his life.   Our son is passionate about drawing.   Just today we went to the library and he took out two books about learning how to draw.   I wouldn’t be surprised whatsoever if his future employment require drawing.

But let’s get back to the book.  Like mentioned above, the book is an autobiography of Rudy which is the inspiration behind the movie.    In this book, you will learn how Rudy grew up, how he struggled in school, how he became an icon at Notre Dame, and how he became an inspirational speaker in the end.   Whether for a parent trying to figure out how to deal with a child with dyslexia or something dealing with it, Rudy is a wonderful book to read. 

If you have someone in your life who love to read autobiographies, why not getting Rudy this year as a Christmas gift? 

Rudy is available at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.

     

Also available on Kindle

Also available as audiobook

       

Disclaimer: Thanks to Thomas Nelson for sending me the above mentioned product in the e-pub edition for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.