No Turning Back: One Man's Inspiring True Story of Courage, Determination, and Hope

by Bryan Anderson, David Mack

Overview

An exceptional memoir about one man's truly inspirational outlook on living, no matter the odds.

Before you dig into this book, there are a few things I think you should know. First, I was a soldier, and I still talk like one-in other words, I swear. So, if bad words bother you, just squint and pretend you don't see them.

I want you to know this book is not about the war in Iraq, and I'm not pushing a political agenda. Even though I'm going to tell you about the day I was wounded and what I went through during rehab, this book's not just some war memoir or a pity party. I just want to share some of my stories with you. This book is not about being wounded. It's not about struggling.

This book is about living. It's about life.

In this inspiring memoir, Bryan shares his infectious love for life that touches anyone who's faced hardship. No Turning Back is a testament to pure hard work, perseverance, and hope for a better life- no matter what shape it takes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101558775
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/01/2011
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	312 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Bryan Anderson served two tours of duty in Iraq and was awarded a Purple Heart. A natural athlete, he snowboards, wakeboards, whitewater-rafts, and rockclimbs, among other sports. He lives in Chicago, Illinois.
David Mack is the national bestselling author of nearly twenty novels. In addition to novels, Mack's writing credits including television, film, short fiction, magazines, newspapers, comic books, computer games, radio, and the Internet. He lives in New York City.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“When I met Bryan Anderson, I knew I was meeting someone exceptional. He put me immediately at ease. Here he was, this triple amputee, with every reason to be pissed off at the world, meeting someone who never wore the uniform. He pulled himself up on the chair, smiled with that shit-eating grin of his, and told me his astounding story. Bryan is among that rare breed of hero, that takes in all the worst the world can heap on you, and lets it make him stronger, and makes the rest of us want to be better….he will make you think, and he will make you laugh, and you will be better for having read [his book].”—James Gandolfini
"An undoubtedly admirable, inspirational story."—Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

When I met Bryan Anderson, I knew I was meeting someone exceptional. He put me immediately at ease. Here he was, this triple amputee, with every reason to be pissed off at the world, meeting someone who never wore the uniform.  He pulled himself up on the chair, smiled with that shit-eating grin of his, and told me his astounding story. Bryan is among that rare breed of hero, that takes in all the worst the world can heap on you, and lets it make him stronger, and makes the rest of us want to be better….he will make you think, and he will make you laugh, and you will be better for having read [his book].”—James Gandolfini 

"An undoubtedly admirable, inspirational story."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

"When I met Bryan Anderson, I knew I was meeting someone exceptional. He put me immediately at ease. Here he was, this triple amputee, with every reason to be pissed off at the world, meeting someone who never wore the uniform. He pulled himself up on the chair, smiled with that shit-eating grin of his, and told me his astounding story.
Bryan is among that rare breed of hero, that takes in all the worst the world can heap on you, and lets it make him stronger, and makes the rest of us want to be better....he will make you think, and he will make you laugh, and you will be better for having read [his book]."

James Gandolfini

With the assistance of Mack (The 4400, 2009, etc.), Iraq War veteran and Purple Heart winner Anderson looks at his life after a devastating explosion in the streets of Baghdad left him a triple amputee. The opening chapter, "Alive Day," details the mindset of a soldier as he prepares for a routine task--escorting a general through Baghdad--and the minutia (vehicle checks, locating preferred soda, checking on his fellow soldiers) that helped to anchor his experiences. The bomb that hit Anderson's vehicle, a version of an improvised explosive device dubbed an EFP (explosively formed penetrator), followed a path directly through the driver's side of the truck he was driving. Anderson woke up in Walter Reed Army Hospital facing more than a year of recovery and rehabilitation. Imbued with a steady stream of positive thinking and can-do philosophy, the narrative chronicles Anderson's insistence that he master the use of prosthetic legs and his determination to thrive in environments outside of the hospital or rehab. In straightforward, occasionally treacly language, the author describes the life he has made for himself and the joy of discovering new experiences like snowboarding, dating, traveling the country as a spokesperson, acting and working as a stuntman. An undoubtedly admirable, inspirational story--but not for readers who don't enjoy inspirational memoirs.

Kirkus Reviews