Against All Odds: My Story

I really enjoyed this inspirational autobiography by Chuck Norris. It was an open account of his early years, his time in the military, his introduction to martial arts, brining martial arts back to America and opening martial arts schools, the ups and downs of business and his personal life and his faith in Jesus Christ.
Chuck takes ownership of his mistakes in business and personal life and gives an account of how he built a successful martial arts school, only to sell it and see it nearly fail and how he transitioned from this to an acting career. He talks of his charitable work and his own KICKStart foundation. The stories themselves are interesting however Norris interweaves much of the relationships he has with people into them to show more add to their authenticity and enjoyment. show less

Interesting story of his lifelong involvement in martial arts. Some aspects I didn't understand, such as his occasional mention of how his Christain faith was important yet he would make choices and had a lifestyle that contradicted what I would expect from such. Or that it took so long for him to actually do anything to help all the kids he was sure could be helped by martial arts...and even when he did, it sounded like he was more the manager of various centers rather than engaging the kids themselves. I could care less about the time in his life when he was an actor, though I get that for some people that would be an engaging part of his story.
This came as part of an audiocollection; I would not have picked it up otherwise. However, show more it was mostly interestingly told, so I don't regret the time spend listening. show less

To be honest, I picked this book up more as a joke than as a “I’m going to read this”, but as soon as I read the first few chapters, I knew I had to finish it!

Seriously, who DOESN’T want to know the real-life story of Mr. Chuck Norris?!

The book shows Norris’ strengths and weaknesses (weaknesses?) as he talks of his life-path. He admits sins and faults and also promotes family, the Christian Faith and pride in our Country.

I learned a lot reading this book about the man and his commitment to his family and his commitment to Christ!

Can anyone help me fulfill a life-long dream to meet Mr. Norris?

I enjoyed reading this inspirational story. It shows how even those with the worst starts can overcome, and not only make something og their lives but become famous. I like the way that it was written, as if Mr. Norris was telling someone his story. I appreciated the way this book was written cleaning and encouraged good morals. I liked how he talked openly about his Christianity. He told many engaging stories about his life. They were comical, inspiring, engaging, and right-living encouraging. I liked hearing of his encounters with other celebrities, how he viewed the events of his life, and all the many interesting things he was able to do. This didn't take me long to finish. It was fun to read!

While I expected a run of the mill biography of a current "star", I suddenly found that hours had passed since I started reading, and I was totally engrossed! Mr. Norris' life story certainly was interesting and inspiring. I enjoyed it.

Chuck Norris' autobiography is so tough, I have to keep it alone on a shelf. Any other book I put there ends up torn and scattered on the floor.

Excellent book. Easy to read. Chuck tells his life story and how his faith and conservative values are very important to him.