Against All Odds: A True Story of Ultimate Courage and Survival in World War I

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In his well-written and meticulously researched book, Alex Kershaw delivers accounts of four remarkable Americans who received the Medal of Honor and other combat decorations as well as more than their share of Purple Hearts during WWII. It is a tale of courage, leadership, selflessness, and above all, heroism. Thankfully, Kershaw tells the readers about the lives of these four soldiers after the war ended, which includes, of course, Audie Murphy’s years in Hollywood as a movie star. This is their story retold from the start. From before they received that phone call for their assistance in rescuing the Wild Boars.

Although we know how the story ends, it doesn’t make the book any less suspenseful. There were many agencies and people involved in the rescue mission and right from the start, we are faced with all the life or death decisions they are faced with. For Craig and Harry, there is also the ethical decision that comes with binding and drugging children, and the personal sacrifices they make for what seems like a very slim chance of succeeding in their mission. In the course of the war Murphy earned every citation for valor that the army awards: Bronze Star, Silver Star, Distinguished Service Cross, and Medal of Honor. The spirituality of the region was very important. All of Thailand watched and prayed. Schools were closed. It gripped the world. In another section of the book he talks about going to night classes to learn English, and refers to others in the class as ‘real retards’. What an awful thing to say. Paul and his peers were all in the same boat, trying to better themselves by learning to read and write, yet he has the audacity to refer to them with such awful words.

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While there have been numerous stories and even some books on the evolution and rise of the IT industry in India, a definitive account was missing. This book plugs that important gap. That too from not just an industry insider but a person who shaped its evolution. Veteran military historian Alex Kershaw delivers admiring accounts of four notable Americans who received the Medal of Honor and more than their share of Purple Hearts during World War II. All attracted worshipful publicity and survived the war more or less intact. For those, who have already been introduced to the magical world of her books, Against All Odds would seem a light and fun read but that will only increase the curiosity to read more of her as it happened with me. These two men were chosen for their medical expertise and cave diving knowledge, but this dangerous rescue asked so much more of them. They had to remain calm under extreme pressure and intense scrutiny, adapt to constantly changing circumstances and importantly, build trust among the rescue team and with the young boys and their coach, whose lives were in their hands. Then they were found! The world was as surprised and happy as the boys were when the two UK divers popped up out of the water below where they’d been ‘camping’ on a higher ledge. Hand signals helped when language didn’t; but one boy had a better grasp of English!

And neither will the rescuers names: Richard ‘Harry’ Harris, from South Australia, and his diving companion, Craig Challen, from Western Australia.The boat incident was important though. It gave Harry, or Burt, as his father called him, an incentive to align himself with watery environments and told him that there were always high risks. Ellie's story highlights the importance of family, and how community and support can carry people through the toughest of times. Against All Odds includes the perspective of both Ellie and her mother Yvonne, making Ellie's story the perfect read for parents and carers of those with disabilities or those who, like Katie Piper OBE, are passionate about championing the most vulnerable in society. Never thought I would see the day where I would have to put trigger warnings on a Danielle Steel book. I lived for 25 years thinking that DS was light and fluffy with a few hard topic books thrown in. That is what I thought this book was, actually. Boy, was I wrong. This was not light and fluffy. Not even close. This is my second book by the author and i must say I enjoyed the writing a lot more than before. The words flow fluidly and even when there isn't much happening plot-wise, the writing keeps up a good pace. I liked how past stories in the lives of the characters was interspersed with the story without seeming heavy or choppy. I especially loved reading about the clothes that went into Kate's shop, "Still Fabulous". As a lover of fashion, i really enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of the vintage clothes! Alex Kershaw is the master of putting the reader in the heat of the action. Against All Odds is vivid and compelling, a crisp narrative about heroism, war, and going above and beyond the call of duty.” —Martin Dugard, #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of Killing the Mob and national bestselling author of Taking Paris

In June 2018, for seventeen days, the world watched and held its breath as the Wild Boars soccer team were trapped deep in a cave in Thailand. Marooned beyond flooded cave passages after unexpected rains, they were finally rescued, one-by-one, against almost impossible odds, by an international cave-diving team which included Australians Dr Richard Harris and Dr Craig Challen. So if you can stomache a bit of salesmanship and don't mind some Bible thumping, what we have here is a lad who came into the world with none of the white privilege that everyone likes to talk about but which seems so hard to come by; a lad who went on to achieve great things through hard work and putting in many extra hours of gruelling and painful work. And he's a John Wayne fan to boot. As a soldier living in hell Murphy had been at his best. 'There's this to say about combat,' he stressed, 'it brings out the best in men. It's gory and it's unfortunate but most people in combat stand a little taller.'" Where to begin with reviewing this autobiography? I feel like I may need to repeat the word autobiography to myself often, just to remind myself that this really happened and that it wasn't just some gritty fictional novel that I was reading.History buffs know all about the European theater of WWII, specifically the famous beach landings and other significant battles through North Africa, Italy, France and Germany. They will know about the famous men who led the charge: Patton, Patch, Montgomery, Truscott, etc. WWII is well documented and well studied; there is no need for another general account of what transpired between two warring armies. If you want to learn all about the European conflict of WWII, go read Atkinson's trilogy; it's excellent. Kershaw understands this and has wisely selected to tell the stories of the unsung heroes; the warriors nobody has heard of. The privates and platoon leaders who collected every conceivable medal for their bravery. Theirs is a story worth a hearing, because they were the ones with their noses in the dirt as the lead sang overhead. Pitch-perfect.”— The Wall Street Journal•“Riveting.”— World War II magazine•“Alex Kershaw is the master of putting the reader in the heat of the action.”—Martin Dugard

Keith Ware was a manager of a department store when he received his draft notice. Because of his managerial experience and his intelligence he was selected to attend Officer Candidate School (OCS). As a “ninety day wonder” he graduated as a 2nd lieutenant.A world in a cave is like no other, they say, and for most of the world’s population, this story brings it alive. And with it, 13 live boys whose lives we get to know. Their parents waited anxiously outside the cave. A video of the boys was shown world wide too; they were smiling! Hungry but happy. Having just read “Train Dreams” it’s a jolt to find myself in the midst of such pedestrian - yet adequate - prose. The guys have an incredible story. They are heroes, no question. I guess the ghost writer (Ellis Henican) has done his best but I can’t help getting a distracting taste of the MSG (a little too much use of the “will I?” “There’s still so much that could go wrong” etc. to keep the tension up.) It’s the adventure itself and the two ‘authors’ and their story, which gives this book its high rating. Not the literary style. Of course there could be further editing and certain aspects left out, especially Harry’s ‘kidnapping’ adventure with friends in the city streets of Adelaide. And involving police. There was a little too much spent about his early years. Ellie's heart, humour, and hard work has allowed her to achieve her dreams. An advocate for disability, Ellie uses her platform as a disabled model to act as a role model and inspire other people with Down Syndrome.