The memoir · Out now
The LuckiestDead Man Alive
“What if the day you died was the day your life finally began?”
The Luckiest Dead Man Alive isn't just a memoir. It's a rollercoaster through music, madness, family, Bowie worship and the big question: what really matters when the lights go out?
#1
Amazon bestseller, Inspirational Spirituality
#3
Mysticism, paperback
Top 5
Five Amazon chart places with his first memoir
So what's the book about?
For four minutes,
he was gone.
It's a book about near-misses, coincidences, laughter, heartbreak, music and miracles. Funny, moving, ridiculous, and true.
Nov 2009
New York City
26.2 miles. 49,000 runners. One ordinary bloke from Birmingham, running for Ros.
Mile 10
A messenger
On the church steps in Queens, a gospel singer pulls him from the race and whispers: “Jesus loves you. Everything’s going to be okay.”
Mile 20
Doing fine
Outrunning the injuries and making steady progress through the city.
Mile 26
Pronounced dead
No heartbeat. No breath. For four minutes he was gone, with a brain still firing, hearing the last echoes of life.
After
The reset button
Back home in Birmingham everything looked brighter and sharper, as if someone had turned the volume up on life. He'd been given a second chance, and he wasn't going to waste it.
Why dying was the best thing to ever happen to him
Life's short.Read this book.
Spoiler: it isn't money, status or how many cars are on the driveway. It's love, laughter, sliding-doors moments and the footprints we leave behind.
Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, Richard takes you from Botha Road to Broadway, from the New Romantics to near-death clarity. Life's short. Read this book. Then live it like you mean it.
If you love Danny Baker, Peter Kay or Bob Mortimer, this is your next read.
Birmingham Mail
Midland dad was ‘dead’ for four minutes after the New York Marathon
Sunday Mercury
“I died after running a marathon and heard paramedics break news to my wife”
What readersare saying.
★★★★★
“I honestly could not put this book down. Truth certainly is stranger than fiction. I read the whole book in one sitting. It's a page turner, alright.”
★★★★★
“What a fantastic read! The only disappointment was that it ended too soon. I wanted more.”
★★★★★
“Great writing, you infect the reader with your enthusiasm of the musical eras. Just brilliant.”
★★★★★
“A very funny read, Peter Kay comes to mind. It's interesting the way we go back and forth through his life, interspersed with lyrics by Bowie and Richard, both of which are brilliant.”
★★★★★
“I re-lived every line Rich. Thoroughly enjoyed every word, you captured it spot on. Little things suddenly came back to memory and made me smile and chuckle.”
★★★★★
“As I'm reading this, I can actually see you doing this, not from an imaginary point of view, but from being there.”
About thebook.
01What is The Luckiest Dead Man Alive about?
It is Richard Green's memoir. At mile 26 of the 2009 New York Marathon he was pronounced dead for four minutes. The book tells how he got there, from a 1970s Birmingham childhood on Botha Road through music, family and Bowie, and what changed when he came back.
02Is The Luckiest Dead Man Alive a true story?
Yes. It is a memoir of Richard's own life, and his marathon collapse was reported by the Birmingham Mail and the Sunday Mercury.
03Is it a sad book?
It is equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking. Readers compare it to Danny Baker, Peter Kay and Bob Mortimer, and say it reads like a chat in the pub with a mate who has the best stories.
04How is it different from An Ordinary Bloke?
An Ordinary Bloke was Richard's earlier book. After his near-death experience at the New York Marathon changed the story, and his life, it grew into The Luckiest Dead Man Alive.
05Where can I buy The Luckiest Dead Man Alive?
On Amazon UK (www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GT24BP9C) or through Waterstones.