The Chuck Norris Story

When you think of Chuck Norris, your thoughts no doubt gravitate toward reruns of Walker, Texas Ranger or the 80s action flicks, Missing in Action or Delta Force. But if you dismiss Norris too quickly, you'll find yourself in the company of many who have done so over the years - only to be proven wrong time and again.

The Chuck Norris that emerges in his bestselling autobiography, Against All Odds, is somewhat of a rags-to-riches story, in which his most esteemed "riches" are his marriage (his second) and his renewed commitment to Jesus Christ. His faith indeed plays a central role in his story, which is the reason for this review.

Norris and co-author Ken Abraham go into some detail (but not too much) concerning Norris' poverty-stricken and emotionally painful childhood with an abusive, alcoholic father. Norris struggled through his childhood, finished high school, and joined the US Air Force. Sent to South Korea, he honed his appreciation of the critical importance of drive and self-discipline through a mastery of the martial arts. He earned black belts in Tang Soo Do, Tae Kwon Do, and Shito ryu Karate, and eventually in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

His training in the martial arts continued over the years, as he mixed and merged various styles and helped found new approaches in martial arts. He began training other martial arts students and excelled in competition, winning the Professional Middleweight Karate championship six years in a row. This was, of course, on top of all his other competition honors, which were many.

The remarkable thing about all this is that Norris was never a naturally gifted athlete. In fact, he admits to having a slow metabolism. He became one of the leading martial artists in the world the old-fashioned way. He worked his tail off. It was due to grit, determination, and self-discipline that Norris became a world champion. That alone makes him a role model.

And then there's acting. Anyone who has seen Norris act knows he doesn't have a lot of natural talent. But through hard work, perserverance, and determination, Norris has cultivated an effective screen presence, a loyal fan base, and commercial success.

The book also notes many of Norris' rather interesting and off-beat achievements, such as breaking the world record in boat racing and his founding of KickStart America.

The book is "preachy" only in a couple parts, but for the most part, let's the story speak for itself. Norris doesn't pull any punches about the sins and mistakes of his past, and doesn't parade himself as something he's not. He readily admits that his Christian life hasn't always been exemplary. In fact, far from it. But his faith has always been there, if only in the background at times. And it's certainly become the most central aspect of his life in recent years.

So, head to the bookstore or library and pick up a copy. It's worth your time and money.

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