Wrestling with Angels: A True Story of Addiction, Resurrection, Hope, Fashion, Training Celebrities, and Man’s Oldest Sport [Signed] by John Hanrahan

In 1984, John Hanrahan was featured in Interview magazine's iconic Olympic Issue as one of America's top athlete's vying for a spot on the US Olympic Team. He had come within a point of defeating the mighty Soviet world medalist and had defeated other international competitors. He had a shot at a lifelong dream, but then abandoned the final trials. The coach searched frantically for him at LaGuardia airport. He was nowhere to be found. He hadn't exactly fallen off the face of the earth; his face was appearing in worldwide ad campaigns as a top fashion model―but he’d become crippled by addiction, unable to face his competition, and unwilling to confront the severity of his situation.

Then, in 1985, Hanrahan died from an overdose. He went to a divine place while a doctor worked frantically to revive him. He was shown the prayers of loved ones and given another chance at life, and he feels he came back for a reason…

He returned wanting to shout his story from the rooftops, but was unable to fully share his experiences to help others. He was shackled by the stigma of being judged as an addict, and it wasn’t until he nearly lost his own son to the ravages of addiction that he broke through and gained the strength and courage to tell his story. He describes how he continued to work amidst the craziness of the world fashion markets―Milan, Paris, Zurich, Tokyo, and New York―while trying to find his way toward exorcising the demons of his past and gaining a life worthy of the one he had miraculously regained.

He transformed himself to become the trusted personal trainer to influential New Yorkers, such as John Kennedy Jr., Julia Roberts, Howard Stern, Natasha Richardson, Diane Sawyer, Rosie O’Donnell, Mercedes Ruehl, Betty Buckley, and Joan Lunden. He moved his family west and quickly corralled a high-powered Hollywood client base, including Patricia Heaton, David Geffen, Tim Burton, Sandy Gallin, Tara Reid, Beverly DeAngelo, Annabella Sciorra, Cyndi Lauper, Donald De Line, Amy Pascal, Kevin Huvane, Bryan Lourd, Davis Guggenheim and Graydon Carter…all while keeping his past a secret.

"If you want a great book for you or your special someone that will motivate and educate, pick up John Hanrahan's masterpiece - Wrestling with Angels."
—Brian Kilmeade, Fox & Friends Host, Best Selling Author

"The book Wrestling with Angels tugs at your heartstrings, touching on difficult issues so many families are dealing with every day. The author, John Hanrahan, expresses his experiences beautifully, allowing himself to be raw, real, and full of grace."
—Laura Morton, 20x New York Times Best Selling Author

"Riveting! This book Wrestling with Angels is so good. Powerful memoir. Great Father's Day present."
—Emily Giffin, Highly Acclaimed Novelist, 7x NYT Best Selling Author

"The book Wrestling with Angels grabbed me by the throat and hung on, pulling me in deeper and deeper. Page after page, I couldn't put it down. An All American wrestler at Penn State, John Hanrahan won a lot and felt on top of the world. When his college career ended, his good looks took him to a world he could have never imagined. He became one of the most popular male models in the world. And then he died... I can't even try to explain any of it here. Read it for yourself. He returned to life and became a trainer to some of the best-known celebrities in the world - from John F. Kennedy Jr. to Julia Roberts."
—Mike Chapman, WIN Magazine Founder & Sr. Editor

Steven L. Jaffe, MD, Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine
"I was inspired by his vivid description of his own death, which was then followed by his receiving the gift of returning to life. Wrestling with Angels is a highly entertaining read, and in this time of an opioid epidemic it is extremely relevant."
—Steven L. Jaffe, MD, Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine