RISK!

True Stories People Never Thought They'd Dare to Share

By: Kevin Allison

Narrated by: Kevin Allison, Sarah Mollo-Christensen, Robin Miles

A "fascinating" (MetroSource) collection of uncensored, confessional, and at times outrageously funny essays about coming of age, coming out, and the wildest experiences that define us.

Collecting the most celebrated stories from the hit podcast RISK!, along with all-new true tales about explosive secrets and off-the-wall adventures, this book paints a spellbinding portrait of the transformational moments we experience in life but rarely talk about. No topics are off-limits in RISK!, no memories too revealing to share. From accidentally harboring a teen fugitive to being poisoned while tripping on LSD in the Mayan ruins, these stories transport readers into uncharted territory and show how your life can change when you take an extraordinary leap.

In these jaw-dropping stories, edited and introduced by RISK! host Kevin Allison, writers reveal how they pushed drugs for a Mexican cartel only to end up kidnapped and nearly killed, how they joined a terrifying male-empowerment cult and fought desperately for a way out, how they struggled with pregnancy complications and found a hero where they least expected it, and so much more. A lifelong construction worker shares the intimate details of transitioning to being a woman, a bestselling author discusses how he assumed the identity of his babysitter online in a social experiment gone awry, and a beloved comedian discusses how a blow job from a prostitute changed his life. By turns cautionary and inspiring, RISK! presents an extraordinary panorama of the breadth of human experience and a stunning tribute to the power of the truth to set us free.

Critic reviews

Brit + Co, "12 Books You'll Want to Read on the Beach This Summer"
Amazon, Best Books of the Month
AOL.com, "14 Beach Reads"
Kobo, Most Anticipated Nonfiction, Best Books of the Month

"RISK! will move you to live fiercely and share your wildest truths!"
—John Hodgman, actor, humorist, and New York Times bestselling author of Vacationland

"[A] fascinating book...Naughty, funny, and scary in ways that will make you think, feel, and maybe even want to share a story that you never thought you'd dare to."—MetroSource

"Electric, daring, bold, ribald, terrifying. And that's just the first five stories."
—Dan Kennedy, host of The Moth storytelling podcast

"RISK! gives a platform to stories rarely heard, to people rarely represented and their most insane experiences. This book pushes us to live lives that inspire stories like these, to take risks you wanna live through to tell the stories about."—Ilana Glazer, co-creator and co-star of Broad City

"Powerful...The writers in RISK! are unafraid to bare their souls. These stories prove that when you take a chance--in storytelling and in life--anything can happen."—Lisa Lampanelli, Comedian and playwright

"From out-there tales of cannabalism and almost murder (yes, really) to provocative stories of identity and gender, this collection will make you gasp out loud and perhaps inspire you to live a little larger."—Mind Body Green, "The 5 Books You Won't Be Able to Put Down This July"

"If you love hearing about real life stories that range from embarrassing to heartwarming to sometimes shocking, you're going to love RISK!"—Brit + Co

"RISK! uncovers life at its most hilarious and terrifying. Each story leads readers over a tripwire and leaves you thinking, 'Wow...'"
—Glynn Washington, host of WNYC's Snap Judgment

"Evoke[s] both laughter and sadness...These fascinating, affecting confessionals are sure to reach readers beyond the podcast's scope."—Publishers Weekly

Great Book to get you thinking

The Risk book is a very heavy book. It gets you to think about life. Took me a while to get through because of the gravity of certain stories, but this book is important enough to spejd a few weeks listening to on and off. Definitely recommend.

Amazing In Book or Audio Format!!

Tragedy! Comedy! Drama! True Love! This book includes every type of true tale imaginable! Every story and storyteller is vastly different from the next, yet the book flows so smoothly it's impossible to put down. I enjoyed reading it so much I also bought the Audible version, and WOW! I'm so glad I didn't miss out on hearing each and every story beautifully narrated! I noticed another review advised against the audio format of RISK!, and I couldn't disagree more. Kevin Allison, Sarah Mollo-Christensen, and Robin Miles brilliantly used their voices to weave subtle nuances into the stories, which brought out elements of each storyteller's recollection I had not noticed as I read the book. It was surreal to hear Kevin Allison's deep, endearing, expressive, magical voice bring to life a true story written by the one-and-only Dan Savage! This is my new favorite book!

EXCEEDS MY HIGH EXPECTATIONS!!!

I am an avid listener of the Risk Podcast, which I love, and was excited to hear about the coming book. Yet, I was also very skeptical. I was afraid that the intamacy of these deeply personal stories would be lost without the the author themself sharing it. That is not the case!

Although there is something lost by not having the author tell their own stories the narrators do a fantastic job of delving into the emotional complexity of each individual's experience.

If you are new to RISK sit back and enjoy the ride. if you are already a follower of the podcast there are a ton of new stories, and even the stories I recognize from the podcast feel fresh and exciting and a joy to revisit!

congratulations RISK team! Thank you!

If you love the podcast you will love the book

The story content is 100/10 stars. The story choices and content are amazing and I loved hearing all the content I never got to hear in the podcast. I’ve been a listener likely as long as Risk! has been around and it’s my favorite podcast.
I only took off one star because I missed the experience of each story teller having their own voice, and while I realize that’s not practical with an audiobook, I felt some of the narrators (NOT KEVIN) fell flat with inflection and keeping things interesting with their voice. I’ve always loved Kevin, his stories and narration are intertwined with this whole thing and if it wasn’t for him and his voice this wouldn’t be Risk! At all.

Thank you so much for the new medium and new content.

Fans, CHECK IT OUT!!!!

Deep-dive personal stories

RISK has been one of my favorite story-telling podcasts for year because it runs the ENTIRE emotional gamut in a single show - I had to stop listening at work because it doesn't look good to go from laughing to crying and back again every 15 minutes. The book has some of the best/ most frightening/ most illuminating stories from the podcast's history and enough new material and context to keep me reading.

I grew to love Kevin Allison's manic, high-energy performance style on the podcast. As the primary narrator of the audiobook he sets the perfect tone as ringmaster of this emotional circus. Read it!