The Boy Who Lived, David Holmes
The Boy Who Lived, David Holmes
List: $31.99 | Sale: $22.40
Club: $15.99

The Boy Who Lived
When Magic and Reality Collide: my story, with a foreword by Daniel Radcliffe

Author: David Holmes

Narrator: David Holmes, Toby Laurence

Unabridged: 10 hr 4 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/30/2025


Synopsis

Honest and moving, this inspirational memoir from Harry Potter stuntman David Holmes reveals what it's like to rebuild your life in the wake of tragedy - with plenty of behind-the-scenes Potter anecdotes along the way.

NARRATED BY THE AUTHOR, WITH A FOREWORD BY DANIEL RADCLIFFE NARRATED BY TOBY LAURENCE.

As stunt double to Daniel Radcliffe in the Harry Potter film franchise, stuntman David Holmes helped to move J.K. Rowling's era-defining story from the page to the big screen. His work as a real-life Fall Guy enabled him to create some of the most memorable action sequences in the Wizarding World, as he became the first person ever to play Quidditch. In living his own hero's journey, David was also one of only a handful of people to have worn the iconic wizard's cape, glasses and scar in front of the cameras.

That is, until an accident changed his life forever.

During the making of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, David broke his neck in a stunt rehearsal and was instantly paralysed. From talented junior gymnast and stunt prodigy to fully qualified Hollywood stuntman, his story is a brutally honest portrait of a man who lost everything but found different ways to reimagine new possibilities with love, friendship and optimism - and he later co-created a BAFTA-nominated documentary about his life. David's behind-the-scenes look at one of the biggest film series of all time is both jaw-dropping and hilarious.

Powerful and emotional, his is a story of hope and vulnerability and paints a picture of what it truly takes to rebuild a life and become The Boy Who Lived.

About David Holmes

DAVID HOLMES lived a young boy's dream. A competitive gymnast, he was thrust into the Hollywood spotlight having been cast as a junior stuntman on the 1998 sci-fi movie, Lost in Space.Two years later he landed the role as stunt double to Daniel Radcliffe in the Harry Potter films where he battled dragons, exploredunderwater worlds and racked up more broomstick miles than anyone else in the Wizarding World. Then in 2009, David's worldchanged when a horrific accident fractured his C6 and C7 vertebrae, leaving him paralysed from the chest down. In a period of emotional soul-searching, he came to an important realisation: he was a survivor, not a victim.Since then, he has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds through the David Holmes Harry Potter Cricket Cup and is an ambassador for the Wings for Life Foundation and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore. Elsewhere,David has been a published essay writer in the New York Times, and has given speeches in front of members of the royal family at both Buckingham Palace and Saint James's palace. He produced a BAFTA-nominated documentary about his life entitled The Boy Who Lived and posed for a powerful portrait in which he stripped naked and set himself on fire. He lives in Essex.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Lucy on December 06, 2024

I watched the documentary a few days ago and immediately had to buy the book to read David’s story. I genuinely couldn’t put this down. Such a powerful and emotional book, I can’t stop thinking about it 🥺......more

Goodreads review by Alyssa on March 29, 2025

Everytime I read a memoir I’m reminded that they are the greatest gift, and that strangers from all over the world have taken the time to tell their very personal stories in hopes that they could make one persons life a little easier. This book blew me away, from the fly on wall perspective of being......more

Goodreads review by Clementine on February 24, 2025

I found this book very impactful. It was fascinating to learn about his life as a stuntman, then the terrible experience of his accident and losing everything he knew. It was heartwarming to read about his mental recovery and improved positive outlook on life. A very inspirational man.......more

Goodreads review by Tan on March 22, 2025

What a gorgeous spirit this man has.......more

Goodreads review by Brendan on February 22, 2025

In January 2009, stunt performer David Holmes’ life changed forever. A talented gymnast and hedonistic daredevil, he crashed his way into the stunt community and landed in the ‘Harry Potter’ films, until a wire-stunt went wrong. Holmes broke two vertebrae in his neck, and a man who previously felt i......more


Quotes

His brilliantly-titled memoir tells a story of resilience, pain and joy inews