Break Point: SAS: Who Dares Wins Host's Incredible True Story

Ollie was not the child you wanted as a next door neighbour. Tough and strong after being introduced to physical labour by his tough father, he started to rebel against authority at school, where he was failing because it didn't interest him. A desire to join the military didn't stop him getting involved in theft, housebreaking, arson and other criminal behaviour which eventually landed him in a remand home for a spell. He had no thought for the trauma he was causing to other people or his family, but kept pushing boundaries as far as he could until he was finally stopped.<br /><br />He is brutally honest about who he was and what he did, and tells a shocking tale of how his life spiralled out of control after being attacked by an enraged adult chimp at the circus, an event that shaped his life, and how his father walking out finally removed the last obstacle of discipline that was holding his life together. Even joining the military was not the fix that he wanted. He was in awe of the Falklands veterans and wanted the excitement of going to war like them, finding that peace time in the Royal Marines was not what he was looking for. Even the chance to join the elite SBS did not satisfy him because of the amount of down time spent waiting to be called into action. After six years in SBS he decided to leave the military and seek his fortune elsewhere.<br /><br />I can relate to Ollie never really finding that job that satisfied him. I was never exactly sure what I wanted to do so I drifted in and out of various jobs that never really excited me. Ollie finds the same after the military, being dragged into the typical security and protection jobs that provide the temporary highs of a military type campaign and danger, but also has the same lows. Add in the destructive personal relations he has and the ongoing battle with alcohol problems and he was in a pretty bad place for a while. The call about the TV show changes things forever and finally he finds focus and something he enjoys. The publicity for the show allows him to set up his dream job of running camps where people learn military skills to help them in their working and personal lives.<br /><br />I love the TV show SAS Who Dares Wins, where ordinary people get the chance to test their skills on a shortened version of SAS selection to see if they have what it takes. I love watching them do the physical challenges and then struggle with the mental side of the challenges and the environment they are in. I particularly enjoy the jungle one! I also liked getting an insight to the instructors including Ollie, hearing a bit about their stories. That is why I have been so interested in reading their memoirs. Naturally they cannot talk as much about missions for reasons of national security but I do like reading about the training and what they endure on the various selections for different branches of the military.<br /><br />Ollie's story was fascinating. I could relate to the job issues and had sympathy for his issues but I very much admired the positive attitude that he managed to keep through all of his problems and come out the other side, gaining a new partner who shared his vision for the Break Point company, which sounds really interesting. This book had a good mix of military action, personal problems, mental health issues and I very much enjoyed reading it.<br /><br />

I have been struggling to read of late, but I wanted to at least do a review of this book because I admire the guy, or at least the special forces. The main thing about this book is how easy it is to read. It is a 'page turner' and very conversational in tone. I really like his general attitude throughout the book, and he reminded me of several people in my own life. It's also a reminder that physical toughness isn't everything.<br /><br />Contents<br /> Prologue <br />1) Maverick Marine - page 9<br />2) Wild Child - page 23<br />various pictures throughout his career/life<br />3) Losing Battle - page 39<br />4) Shotgun Willy - page 51<br />5) So Near, So Far - page 63<br />6) Mummy's Boy - page 77<br />7) The Widest Smile - 87<br />8) Special, At Last - page 99<br />9) Rather Beautiful - page 109<br />10) Square Peg, Round Hole - page 121<br />11) Over and Out - page 135<br />12) Peace in War - page 147<br />13) The Road to Baghdad - page 159<br />14) Tempting Death - page 171<br />15) One Last Job - page 185<br />16) False Dawn - page 197<br />17) Happy Now? - page 211<br />18) Who Dares Wins - page 225<br />19) Just Like You - page 237<br />20) Iron Ladies - page 249<br />21) The Business - page 261<br />22) In Control - page 277<br />Epilogue - page 287<br />Acknowledgements - page 293

I don't think I had quite prepared myself to read Ollie’s book and what I would get out of it by the end. I grabbed it for pretty cheap and wasn't expecting it to move me as much as it did. I honestly loved this book and the story it tells. Though it was written by a ghost writer it captures the gritty real truth of life as an SF solider and there is some great information about dealing with depression/PTSD.<br /><br />I feel like I got to witness some of the stories told in the book and found it very grounding and I am glad that everything has turned out well for Ollie when the cards were constantly stacked against him.

This book shares some good stories from life and service of Ollie Ollerton. There are some useful lessons one can learn from. Unfortunately, there is very little information about the actual SAS training. Or, in the case of Ollie, rather SBS training. This might be a good read for people interesting in SAS: Who Dares Wins TV show. I would not recommend it for readers interested in SAS special forces, their training, etc. This book will not tell you much about these topics.

Actually cannot believe how much crazy stuff happened to one person, some of the stories are ?

Break Point By Ollie Overton<br /><br />THIS IS HIS INCREDIBLE TRUE STORY Where is your break point? Is it here? Facing the gruelling SAS selection process on one leg, with a busted ankle and the finish line nowhere in sight? Or here? Under heavy fire from armed kidnappers while protecting journalists en route to Baghdad. Or is it here? At the bottom of a bottle, with a family in pieces, unable to adapt to a civilian lifestyle, yearning for a warzone? <br /><br />Ex-Special Forces soldier and star of TV's SAS: Who Dares Wins, Ollie Ollerton has faced many break points in his life and now he tells us the vital lessons he has learnt. His incredible story features hardened criminals, high-speed car chases, counter-terrorism and humanitarian heroics - freeing children from a trafficking ring in Thailand. <br /><br />Ollie has faced break points in his personal life too, surviving a freak childhood attack, run-ins with the law as a teenager rebelling against a broken home, his self-destructive battles with alcohol and drug addiction, and his struggles with anxiety and depression. His final redemption as an entrepreneur and mental health charity ambassador has seen him overcome adversity to build a new and better life. <br />'Everyone has the capacity for incredible achievement, because it's only when it's crunch time, when you're down to your last bullet - when you're at break point - that you find out who you really are.'<br /><br />This book was a real eye opener for me, Matt Ollie Overton is one of those people that inspires people to do better, he leads by example and is a great role model, not just for people within the military but also the everyday man. 4 stars.<br /><br />

After seeing Ollie on SAS: Who Dares Wins, I knew that I wanted to read his book. I was quite surprised about how emotional this book made me, as it was hard to read about Ollie’s struggles - however it really shows what a strong person he is, as his past has helped to shape him into the man he is today. It was obvious that from a young age Ollie struggled to find his place in the world and struggled to settle. From being a marine, to joining the special forces, to becoming a bodyguard - you really get to learn a lot about Ollie in this book and I think there’s a lot that can be learnt from him. Whether it’s his life in the military, or his personal life, there’s a lot that you could learn from him. I found it very interesting reading about what Break Point really is - it’s something that a lot of people face in their lives but are scared to pay attention to. Your Break Point doesn’t have to have a negative outcome - you just need to know how to respond to it. If you feel like you need some inspiration then I highly recommend this book. Ollie’s story is very inspirational but hard to read at times - as there’s a lot of scary truths in his writing, and a side to military life that you don’t often get to see. I thoroughly enjoyed Ollie’s book, I felt a lot of emotions whilst reading it and I’m definitely looking forward to reading and learning more from him.

I don’t usually read autobiographical accounts, but this really appealed to me. I think that was because I had watched Celebrity: SAS who dares wins.<br />That said, it’s s great narrative. It’s an extremely well written account about, and I am glad that I have read it as it’s made me think about things in different ways. It challenges stereotypes which is very good.

I quite like the way this book makes you think, particularly the way it humanises special forces soldiers. There's not much action or catastrophe in this book like there is in many of the others; there is certainly no sob story. What there is is an honest and open admission that sometimes we get things wrong and need to do something about it.

This is the third book I’ve read that is written by one of the SAS Who Dares Wins DS.<br /><br />Whilst it was well written and gives a good behind the scenes look at what made Olly tick, felt one or two chapters were a little over written.