Book Review: Driven by Donald Driver

Before I start my review, I need to state my bias—I'm a huge Donald Driver fan.  For most of my life, I've watched Number 80 make plays for my beloved Green Bay Packers.  I even watched Dancing With The Stars when he became a cast member on the show.

Now let's get on with the actual review! 

Donald Driver has an intriguing story.  His first job was as a lookout for local drug dealers, and his second job was—you guessed it—as a drug dealer.  His biological father was in jail for most of his childhood, his family never stayed in the same place for longer than a year, and his mother constantly fell into abusive relationships.  (At one point, she kicked her children out of their home because they hated her homeless boyfriend.)  I'll condense this into simpler terms: Driver had a rough upbringing.

Over time, however, he progressed past his humble beginnings; Driver received a full tuition scholarship to Alcorn State University and was drafted by the Packers.  From there, he continued on to play fourteen years of professional football, become a Super Bowl champion, and win Dancing With The Stars.

Driver's autobiography shines most when he writes about the little moments.  For instance, I laughed out loud when he discussed his first catch (he looked down and realized he was "about fifty feet out of bounds"), and I chuckled when he described his overbearing enthusiasm upon meeting future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre.

That said, I loved Driven because I was familiar with all the people.  Part of this book's appeal comes from Driver's interactions with other famous football players—do you recognize the name Ahman Green?  Ever heard of Aaron Rodgers?—and without prior knowledge of these stars, the book is less interesting.  Anyone who watched Dancing With The Stars will also have a unique connection to some of the people in Driver's life—Peta Murgatroyd, for instance, comes up all the time.

For a member of Packer Nation, or even someone who fell in love with Driver after seeing him on Dancing With The Stars, I recommend picking up this book.  Unfortunately, neither Driver's past nor his achievements are compelling enough for me to recommend Driven to everyone.

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