Hard Lessons from the Hurt Business - by Ed Latimore (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Every day, we absorb body blows: some glancing, others that knock us to the mat. It doesn't matter how well-prepared or tough you think you are. Everyone, at some point, is hit with a haymaker from life. It's the cost of living. And just like in the ring, opting out of pain is not an option.

In Hard Lessons From The Hurt Business, former heavyweight boxer Ed Latimore takes readers on a journey from his hardscrabble childhood in Pittsburgh's public housing projects to his signing with Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sport. With honesty and humor, Ed shares how the discipline of boxing served as his rite of passage into manhood and gave him the tools he needed to overcome his childhood trauma and the demons of alcoholism.

Ed's story is one of learning the hard lessons of maturity in perhaps the harshest way possible--from the hurt business. It's a story about finding self-mastery in the face of uncertainty, discovering the power of forgiveness, and embracing pain and adversity to design a life of purpose.

Like Ed says, "How we absorb life's blows and rally through bruised and bloodied rounds shows who we are at our core. We sacrifice, weep, heal, and carry on. In hardship, we transcend."

Review Quotes

"There is no other writer quite like Ed Latimore. He doesn't fall neatly into any of the common categories of influencer or intellectual or thought leader. He has a kind of wisdom that sneaks up on you. The best part about this book, though, is that it really feels like he's just speaking with you the way he would over beers at a bar--and Latimore has plenty of experience with this, as you'll come to learn. He dives into topics both dark and light, guiding you, the reader, with a mystifying combination of unforced confidence and deep modesty. How does he do it? The only answer I can come up with is that Latimore has drawn from his skills as a professional boxer and has developed a variety of unique combinations to hit the reader with from about a hundred different angles. This book is a knockout."
--Rob Henderson, author of Troubled

"Ed Latimore's jaw-dropping journey as a boxer is a master class in how self-discipline, self-reflection, and never losing sight of the fundamentals are a cheat code for personal resilience. The way he uses all his experiences, both positive and negative, as a way to learn who he truly is and what's important to him are incredibly inspiring for anyone seeking to live a better life."
--Tiago Forte, author of Building a Second Brain

"Ed Latimore's devastatingly honest story makes reading Hard Lessons from the Hurt Business equal parts inspirational, complex, nuanced, and thought-provoking. He carefully explores his most difficult childhood lessons, then takes us in and out of boxing into stories on what it takes to adapt, persevere, and build character in life's toughest circumstances."
--Paul Rabil, cofounder of the Premier Lacrosse League and author of The Way of the Champion

"Ed Latimore's Hard Lessons from the Hurt Business is an extraordinary chronicle of resilience and reinvention. Latimore takes the reader on his journey from poverty, trauma, and addiction to the halls of academia and intellectual triumphs. Along the way he takes us into the boxing ring as he tells his story of transformation and unyielding determination. Hard Lessons is a must read particularly during our age of uncertainty. Latimore is a source of inspiration for us all."
--Dr. Drew Pinsky, author of The Mirror Effect

About the Author