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

by Bryan Anderson, David Mack

Overview

The word conquer has changed meaning for Bryan Anderson. As a U.S. Army Sergeant in Iraq, it meant taking down the enemy. After becoming Iraq’s fourth triple amputee from a roadside explosive, what he had to conquer got a bit more personal.

On October 23, 2005, the moment Bryan looked down and realized he no longer had legs, he cracked a joke. It was a tragedy that could break many, but Bryan transformed it into something positive, something that propelled him forward. Despite grueling surgeries and rehabilitation, his goal has always been bigger than simply walking again. Making the most of life, he went for it, learning how to snowboard, water-ski, rock climb, and skateboard with his condition—even winning himself some gold medals to place next to his Purple Heart.

In this inspiring memoir, Bryan shares his infectious love for life that touches anyone who’s faced hardship. Anyone, in any circumstance, can overcome the toughest challenges, by not just surviving, but thriving. 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:	9780425253199
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/06/2012
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Bryan Anderson served two tours of duty in Iraq and was awarded the Purple Heart. A natural athlete, he snowboards, wakeboards, white water-rafts, and rock climbs, among other sports. In 2006 he participated in the National Veterans Wheelchair Games and won gold medals in archery and table tennis. Bryan is the national spokesperson for Quantum Rehab, a division of Pride Performance Mobility, and USA Cares.

David Mack is the national bestselling author of nearly twenty novels. In addition to novels, Mack's writing credits include work in television, film, short fiction, magazines, newspapers, comic books, computer games, radio, and on the internet.

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