Natural Born Heroes
Mastering the Lost Secrets of Strength and Endurance
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4.4 • 139 Ratings
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the bestselling author of Born to Run comes a book that inspires us to unleash the extraordinary potential of the human body and climb, swim, skip, throw, and jump our way to heroic feats.
"Redefines the heroic ideal, establishing heroism as a skill set rather than a virtue."—NPR Books
Christopher McDougall’s journey begins with a story of remarkable athletic prowess: On the treacherous mountains of Crete, a motley band of World War II Resistance fighters—an artist, a shepherd, and a poet—abducted a German commander from the heart of the Axis occupation.
To understand how, McDougall retraces their steps across the island that birthed Herakles and Odysseus, and discovers ancient techniques for endurance, sustenance, and natural movement that have been preserved in unique communities around the world.
His search takes us scrambling over rooftops with a Parkour crew in London, foraging for greens with a ballerina in Brooklyn, tossing heavy pieces of driftwood on a Brazilian beach with the creator of MovNat—and, finally, to our own backyards.
“McDougall traveled to Crete to examine the physical and mental capacity of Greek war heroes [and] studied natural movement, endurance, and nutrition to understand how regular people are capable of extraordinary athletic feats.... We can all adapt the tools of the athletes featured.” —Real Simple
Look for Christopher McDougall's new book, Born to Run 2, coming in December!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Journalist McDougall (Born to Run) travels to the Greek island of Crete to serve up a mixture of mythic heroics and still-applicable fitness techniques. There, with amateur historian Chris White's help, he explores how, in 1944, Greek partisans and British commandos abducted Nazi Gen. Heinrich Kreipe. Further delving into the Greek resistance, McDougall offers astonishing stories about shepherds turned partisans, George "the Clown" Psychoundakis, known to run over 50 miles nightly with a 60-pound pack on his back and on a diet of nothing but boiled hay, and Costi Paterakis, who ran cross-country to shoot, from a quarter mile away, a German commander about to order a massacre. He also documents contemporary heroes like the Pennsylvania elementary school principal who singlehandedly saved her school from a machete-wielding stranger. Throughout, McDougall pauses to consider what exactly makes a hero a hero, examining history, anatomy, physiology, and fitness. This book reads as a page-turning historical account, with fitness techniques and instruction embedded throughout. Readers, regardless of their fitness levels, should come to the end feeling both inspired and a little bit winded.
Customer Reviews
Natural Born Heroes
Unreal. So good on so many levels. Three books wrapped up into one. Could not put it down.
Easily Going In My Top 5 Ever
Wow. This is one of the most incredible books I’ve ever read. Part health, part fitness, part adventure, and part history all wrapped up in one book; I’ve never read anything like it! I just can’t get over at how this really happened! The epic story of these people and how they overcame the odds during the war is a true underdog story that should be turned into a movie. Highly recommend this one.
I found out about it from Tim Ferris’ book Tools For Titans, when he was interviewing Laird Hamilton.
Check it out, you won’t be disappointed!
Wow, just wow!
I rushed into this book after reading three other ultra-athlete type books and I expected this to be much the same (which is what I love). I was initially a little disappointed with the drawn out discussion on the war since I am definitely not a war buff, but then I got it. In learning about the war, I was gaining an appreciation for the super-athletes who had to use mind & body to defeat the enemy. I love all the twists and turns in this book. I came away with so much knowledge of the German invasion of Greece, of the true heart of the Greek people, and also a true appreciation for the level of fitness and heroics involved for those living/fighting on the ground. Keep writing Chris!