Search - Against All Odds: My Story

Another book PBS cant have back! I give this book a 7. I love real life stories and his life is so real AMERICAN and real CHRISTIAN too! He doesnt hide all his flaws in this book and what that does is make it real and gives men and boys a role model that you dont have to be perfect to be a Christian man, just one that keeps serving God anyway. Why? Because God is good, and thats good enough for any of us, man or woman. Mr. Norris, for me, embodies the scripture that says...Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. He has known pain and suffering and failure but he knows the key to success is with Christ and he shows that he has lived a delightful and pretty cool life because of his faith.
This book shows a typical young boy, into a strong young man, into a humble and genuine God-loving and God-fearing soul! He is right, you dont have to be perfect to serve God, just willing to see God as what He is...AWESOME, LOVING, and most GRACIOUS!Mr. Norris isnt perfect and thats whats so endearing about him. God bless him and his family today, and in heaven.
I recommend that someone get this book back into the system. My copy is going to my family!The only thing Id change is the last chapter about a movie he made was not really necessary, otherwise Good job Mr.Norris.

I ordered "Against All Odds: My Story" on a whim and am I glad I did. I knew who Chuck Norris was and a little of his accomplishments as a martial artist so thought it would be a fun read. (I may have accidentally bumped into him a tournament a few years back, although not totally sure.)

"Against All Odds" is a relatively easy read and for the most part clearly lays out the life experiences that developed Mr. Norris' character. He shares many personal memories that are obviously important to him. Some of these stories may seem trifling but taken as a whole you can see the evolution of character and faith.

The book is liberally strewn with stories of Mr. Norris' personal interactions with many folks the rest of us have heard of - Bruce Lee, George Bush, Steve McQueen. Occasionally it feels like name dropping but from somebody whose entire professional life has been based on building relationships, it seems quite normal and acceptable.

He writes with clarity about martial arts competition, something that prior to reading the book I was concerned would be made overly complicated or drawn out. Discussing his faith in the early part of the book seems awkward, hesitant, and out of place. However, by the end, his beliefs are comfortably intertwined with his life experiences.

The essence of the book that I truly appreciated was its straight-forwardness. Some readers may consider it grandiose and bragging but when he achieved a major accomplishment he is not hesitant to claim quiet victory. And when he failed to meet a goal or reveals a character flaw, he does so with humility. Both time honored traits of a true martial artist and Christian.

The only issue I had with the book that I sometimes got lost in the time line of where I was in his experiences. The detours weren't long and I was quickly back on track.