Risky Living

Risky Living is a fascinating collection of candid and intimate conversations with forty-five men and women who describe, in gripping detail, how physical risk is a familiar companion in their working lives, and how they deal with it. This is the first work of oral history to focus solely on people who work dangerous jobs. In the great tradition of books revealing the real lives of working men and women pioneered by Studs Terkel, Risky Living takes readers: Inside Antron Brown’s car as he launches his top fuel drag racer from zero to over 300 miles per hour Alongside world champion bull rider Justin McBride as he attempts to stay atop a 1,600-pound beast Next to storm chasing videographer Jeff Gammons as he painfully remembers the screams of Hurricane Katrina drowning victims Right behind Cameron Begbie as he recalls fighting hand-to-hand against insurgents in Iraq Inside the huddle with two-time Pro Bowl NFL player Kassim Osgood In the back of the jeep with National Geographic wildlife photographer Andy Casagrande Down the shaft with coal miner Jeff Shiner Into the swamp with alligator trapper Tredale Boudreaux 100 stories up with high-rise window washer Walter Diaz Risky Living reveals who these daring people are, what they endure for a paycheck, and how they feel about their jobs. They speak for themselves, in their words, and what they have to say reveals much about who they are, what they do, and why they do it.