Against All Odds: My Story

Rating:
Summary: A good book for young boys/men
Review: Alhtough Karate is not especially interesting to me, and I don't agree with all of Chuck Norris' views on politics, I found the book interesting and inspiring. His persistence and dedication to helping others and following God are moving. I think the episodes about the Karate competitions would hold more interest for Karate students and young men, but I was impressed with Chuck Norris' determination to learn from his failures to push on to doing better. There are important messages here that could help many young people.

Rating:
Summary: Always been my hero
Review: Chuck Norris has always been one of my heroes. "Against All Odds" by Chuck Norris tells how he grew up struggling and poor and was uplifted by the martial arts.

Chuck Norris is the type of guy who is masculine and strong in character but sensitive in personality. As a martial artist, Chuck Norris has helped define how martial arts can be used to inspire and turn around the lives of troubled youth. Like Chuck Norris, I was a troubled youth who was positively impacted by the strict instruction and true caring of a martial arts teacher. This is a great book for anyone looking for the true value and meaning of the martial arts.

I also recommend Matt Pasquinilli's "The Child Whisperer." Pasquinilli teaches a program similar to Norris's Kickstart program. "The Child Whisperer" has great advice on how the martial arts can be used to turn around troubled youth.


Rating:
Summary: A Surprise Hit !!!
Review: Chuck Norris has been inside my head for 30 years. My wife and I met "Carlos" today at the book store and my wife received an autographed copy of this book. As a kid, I never thought I would have ever shaken his hand, but I did at 41. Any way's, his book is a good read and you won't be disappointed. Has some nice pictures in it as well.

Rating:
Summary: The Real Man
Review: Chuck Norris, film star makes no bones about his impoverished youth or his drunken father. Every detail, written extremely well, is detailed in this excellent book. The courage and determination he portrayed throughout his life is so much more than he could have ever achieved on screen in the greatest of movies. This is a must read and highly rated memoir along the lines of "Nightmares Echo', "A Paper Life" or "Running With Scissors"

Rating:
Summary: God has plans for you
Review: God has plans for you - that is the recurrent theme of Against All Odds. And Chuck Norris demonstrates this by the way he lives his life.

After reading the biography of another sports entertainment legend (Ric Flair), it was refreshing to see someone like Chuck Norris who I would gladly let a young person view as a role model. It would be an honor for a young person to try to emulate the behavior of Mr. Norris.

It was interesting to see his humble beginnings, and his determination to succeed, all the while keeping his true priorities in line.

Chuck Norris is the real deal, someone who is gracious and generous (see all his work with Make a Wish); the way a celebrity who has been blessed with so much ought to be.

Thank you, Chuck, for redeeming my belief that one can be materially successful and still be a good (Christian) person.

Rating:
Summary: Definite Read Bio!!!!!!
Review: I first heard about this book while Chuck was doing an interview on the Sean Hannity show on the way home from work. Not having read other books by Chuck Norris, I found this book to be very well written and an interesting biography. Though the book covers issues of faith, I never felt like it was being "biblebeat" but rather incorporated into how he was able to pull off many of his accomplishments and keeping things balanced when adversity struck. It also wasn't pushing a belief structure onto the reader. Highly recommnded this book for anyone wanting to pick up a biography or just interested in hearing Chuck Norris' story from being an incredibly shy person to the person we recognize today.

Rating:
Summary: Very Heartwarming Story
Review: I knew Chuck Norris was a great actor as well as a good and charitable person. I never knew until I read this book that he had a tough life growing up. I read this book in one evening and couldn't put it down. I hope he will continue his work with children and they are our future and in todays world they need all the guidance they can get.

Rating:
Summary: Really enjoyed reading this book
Review: I read this book in two nights. What an amazing story and enjoyable read. I've watched him on his Walker series and have always liked him. This book takes you right into his life and is very entertaining. Being a wife and mother, this is not my usual read, however I couldn't put this book down. I would highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Norris speaks from the heart
Review: This book is an interesting and insightful look into the life of one of the world's best known martial artists. Norris worked his way beyond a pretty rotten childhood to become an international action star and a fine human being. That's a pretty rare combination these days. He had a tough time getting there though. Through the twists and turns of his life Norris eventually found spiritual enlightenment in Christianity and became a better person through his belief in god. In this book he successfully discusses how faith played an essential role in his success without proselytizing or becoming overly preachy in my opinion. He openly discusses both his strengths (which are fairly obvious) and his shortcomings (such as cheating on his first wife who he later divorced and having a child out of wedlock).

Norris has lived a true rags-to-riches story. His early days were defined by poverty and an alcoholic father who abandonment him, contributing to his own shyness and lack of ability. He turned his life around by joining the army. Stationed in Korea, he learned tang soo do which he brought back to America along with a desire to teach. In an effort to recruit students and advertise his skills, Norris turned to tournament competition where he became a world champion six times. Upon retiring from active competition, his friend Bruce Lee talked him into pursuing what turned out to be a highly successful movie (and later television) career.

Some of the material included herein is also found in Secrets of My Inner Strength. Joe Hyams (author of the famous book, Zen and the Martial Arts) who co-wrote that work has a little better writing style than Ken Abraham (a religious writer) who co-wrote this one but it is an entertaining and worthwhile tome nevertheless. There is virtually nothing about his film career in this book, probably because it was fairly extensively covered in the other volume.

Interesting read. I enjoyed it very much.

Lawrence Kane
Author of Martial Arts Instruction: Applying Educational Theory and Communication Techniques in the Dojo


Rating:
Summary: Engaging story
Review: This is a wonderful book which I read in one sitting. Chuck's extraordinary story is told very matter-of-factly. Anyone interested in martial arts or the American dream will enjoy this book.