Review
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“A mash note to physical endurance. . . . McDougall
redefines the heroic ideal, establishing heroism as a skill set
rather than a virtue. . . . [And] schools the reader in the art
of the champion. . . . The essential narrative here, the twisty
tale of a kipping that incredibly goes right, is exciting. It
is balanced out with the journalistic account of McDougall’s
entry into the world of the hero. His personal quest to ‘rewild
the psyche’ might seem an awkward fit with war storytelling. But
under McDougall’s sure hand the combination improbably works.
Kind of like kipping a German general on an island swarming
with Nazi troops.” —NPR Books
“Natural Born Heroes provides a blueprint of the essential ideas
of how to move, what to eat, and the spirit in which to approach
our everyday lives. I connected with this book on a primal,
emotional, and intellectual level, and have been profoundly
inspired by McDougall’s work.” —Laird Hamilton
“Fascinating. . . . Show[s] that heroism not only can be
taught—it can be mastered.” —New York Post
“A fast-paced, enlightening tale of everyday heroes. . . . A
victory lap for McDougall.” —Deseret News (Salt Lake City)
“McDougall traveled to Crete to examine the physical and mental
capacity of Greek war heroes [and] studied natural movement,
endurance, and tion to understand how regular people are
capable of extraordinary athletic feats. . . . We can all adapt
the tools of the athletes featured in McDougall’s new book.”
—Real Simple
“McDougall sets his rediscovery of fitness concepts against the
backdrop of a great tale of espionage, kipping, and harrowing
escapes. . . . The fascinating story provides anecdotal proof for
the theories and, perhaps, the encouragement you need to try them
in your life.” —Women’s Running
“A heady confection that encompasses, among other subjects,
history, archaeology, Greek mythology, neat ways to kill
a man and ideas on and fitness that might just change your
life. . . . [McDougall] constructs a fascinating edifice of ideas
. . . and eventually finds a modern-day hero of his own. But the
pleasures of the book are as much to do with the fascinating
panoply of characters, war heroes all, British, Commonwealth and
Cretan, whose exploits contributed so much to Hitler's downfall.”
—The Independent (London)
“In the thoroughly absorbing Natural Born Heroes, which tracks
heroism from the times of Zeus and Odysseus to the World War II
bravery of a motley crew of fighters, Christopher McDougall makes
it clear that . . . heroes, both ancient and modern, are not
somehow supernaturally endowed after all. Indeed, they may come
by their skills quite naturally. . . . His extensive knowledge of
fitness training, tion and physiology winds artfully around
a tale of superhuman resistance during the Nazi occupation of the
Greek island of Crete. . . . [McDougall] solves this mystery with
a witty eye for every detail, inspiring his own captive audience
along the way.” — BookPage
“Compelling . . . engaging . . . provocative . . . with
inquiries into the nature of heroism. . . . True heroism, as the
ancients understood, isn’t about strength or boldness or even
courage. It’s about compassion.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Riveting. . . . A well-done recounting of a truly heroic
episode of WWII. . . . In absorbing detail, McDougall describes
how . . . ‘ordinary’ men who were far from stereotypically tough,
battle-hardened warriors . . . trekked across tortuous ain
terrain while avoiding a massive German dragnet..” —Booklist
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About the Author
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Christopher McDougall is the author of Born to Run: A
Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has
Never Seen. He began his career as an overseas correspondent for
the Associated Press, covering wars in Rwanda and Angola. He now
lives and writes (and runs, swims, climbs, and bear-crawls) among
the Amish farms around his home in rural Pennsylvania.
Christopher McDougall is available for select speaking
engagements. To inquire about a possible appearance, please
contact Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau at
speakers@penguinrandomhouse.com or visit www.prhspeakers.com
www.chrismcdougall.com
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