Cheatin' the Reaper And the Lessons I've Learned

Warning! This book is intended for mature readers. It contains scenes of graphic violence, graphic sex, drug and alcohol use, and foul language. (You know – the good stuff.) Reader discretion is advised (and reading this book is encouraged).

Meet Bill Bennett, a.k.a. Billy the Biker – a veteran, ex-con, ex-junkie, 1 percenter, two-time stroke and cancer survivor, and founder of a nonprofit that helps veterans in need. In Cheatin' the Reaper, he recounts his crazy life and what he's learned from it, and who knows? Maybe he'll even save you from making the same mistakes he did, if you pay attention.

This isn't your typical life. Picture this: Bill faces the Reaper head-on at least twice - once at 24 years old when he received last rites and at 57 years old during his second stroke. But finding humor in the darkest situations and being stubborn define him. As a kid, he beat up schoolyard bullies and jumped headlong into a life of crime and addiction. This may have helped him survive the Vietnam draft yet led to hard time in prison. Working with the Teamsters, and then later with his kung fu teacher in "collections," founding the Restless Few M/C and co-founding a nonprofit are just how Bill rides. Yet when he finds the love of his life and survives two strokes, outsmarting the Reaper again teaches him the ultimate lesson— it's about making a difference. Cheatin' the Reaper is a hell of a ride— and it's all true.

Bill Bennett, a.k.a. Billy the Biker, is a longtime radio personality and co-founder of We Have Your 6, a nonprofit aiding veterans and first responders dealing with Post Traumatic Stress (PTS). His grandfather, who rode as a captain with Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders and the Pinkerton detectives on the motorcycle squad, began Bill's wild ride at six years old on a 1928 Indian.

Drafted in 1969 for the Vietnam War, Bill came out of the service with a drug addiction, which he shook after doing hard time. From construction to 13 years with Teamsters Local 282, he then paved his way to success with Top Coat, his blacktop sealing business. He was president of Queens-based Restless Few M/C, a writer for Freetime Magazine, and a radio veteran of 33 years (where he was tagged with his famous nickname). Bill's journey includes surviving both cancer and two strokes, and he credits his wife, Dawn, for his recovery.

A tattoo on the back of his head— of a creature breaking out of his skull— is his old self, the one who used to beat up wife beaters and child molesters. In "Cheatin' the Reaper and the Lessons I've Learned", he finally shares all the wild, true tales of his colorful life lived to the fullest.