The inspiring story of a young man whose wisdom and strength can teach us all how to live life to the fullest, no matter what it throws at us. Sixteen-year-old Alex Noble was a high school rugby star with a promising sporting career ahead of him when an on-field injury left him fighting for his life in the ICU. Following a four-day coma and a diagnosis of C4 quadriplegia, Alex’s first words to his brother Zac were, ‘If I fight, you fight.’ These words became a war cry as Alex’s friends, family and community rallied around him, watching in awe as he fought to regain control over his body and defy his diagnosis. From learning to breathe and move again to travelling the world, starting his own business, and even going skydiving, Alex’s story is about the power of mastering your own mind, finding happiness and taking risks to achieve your goals – no matter how out of reach they may seem. Full of warmth, humour and insight, this is a book that will teach you principles to live your life by, written by a young man who has put them into practice.
Any Ordinary Day by
As a journalist, Leigh Sales often encounters people experiencing the worst moments of their lives in the full glare of the media. But one particular string of bad news stories--and a terrifying brush with her own mortality--sent her looking for answers about how vulnerable each of us is to a life-changing event. What are our chances of actually experiencing one? What do we fear most and why? And when the worst does happen, what comes next? In this wise and layered book, Leigh talks intimately with people who've faced the unimaginable, from terrorism to natural disaster to simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Expecting broken lives, she instead finds strength, hope, even humor. Leigh brilliantly condenses the cutting-edge research on the way the human brain processes fear and grief, and poses the questions we too often ignore out of awkwardness. Along the way, she offers an unguarded account of her own challenges and what she's learned about coping with life's unexpected blows. Warm, candid, and empathetic, this book is about what happens when ordinary people, on ordinary days, are forced to suddenly find the resilience most of us don't know we have.
The Art of Risk by
Are free-solo climbers, underwater cave explorers and big-wave surfers crazy or cautious? How do soldiers and fighter pilots manage risk? What can we learn from how BASE jumpers and drag racers prepare that we can take into our own lives? The author -- one of the Thai Cave rescuers -- takes the reader into the lives of other 'risk-takers', to find out why they do what they do. We meet people adventuring from the highest skies to the deepest oceans -- BASE jumpers, drag racers, sinpers and surfers -- to learn when they go, when they say no, how to prepare and above all, how pushing themselves a little further. (Publisher).
Beyond the Break by
Summary: Darren 'Daz' Longbottom was born to surf. The son of surfing pioneer and board maker Rossco, and brother to legendary big wave specialist Dylan, Daz paddled out with world champions from the earliest age. He was one of the over excited 'access all areas' grommets behind the rope when the World Tour rolled into Australia. From those first surf experiences in Cronulla where they belonged in the waves alongside the very best in surfing, the Longbottom brothers would have to adjust to life as outsiders, finding their places in a new line up further south in Kiama. Friendships were made in the ocean and on the soccer pitch. Dylan went on the road as a 'free surfer', while Daz went into a successful career within the surf industry, learning all aspects of the trade and setting up a successful business. Both brothers still found their way to go out and surf the most iconic breaks around the world. But this passion for waves would very nearly cost Daz his life, and would test his resilience and determination in unimaginable ways. When Daz Longbottom said goodbye to his wife and baby daughter to go on a surf trip with friends to the remote Mentawai islands of Indonesia, it was the fulfilment of a long-held ambition. But he could never have imagined just how difficult the road home would be, or how his life would be changed so profoundly. This is the tale of a freak accident, a terrifying rescue and the long and painful journey home. It is a story of coming to terms with the life-changing consequences that began with riding a single wave.
The Boy who Lived by
Summary: As stunt double to Daniel Radcliffe in the Harry Potter film franchise, stuntman David Holmes helped to move J.K. Rowling's era-defining story from the page to the big screen. During the making of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, David broke his neck in a stunt rehearsal and was instantly paralysed. From talented junior gymnast and stunt prodigy to fully qualified Hollywood stuntman, his story is a brutally honest portrait of a man who lost everything but found different ways to reimagine new possibilities with love, friendship and optimism.
Soul Surfer by
They say Bethany Hamilton has saltwater in her veins. How else could one explain the tremendous passion that drives her to surf? How else could one explain that nothing - not even the loss of her arm in a horrific shark attack - could come between her and the waves? That Halloween morning in Kauai, Hawaii Bethany responded to the shark's stealth with a calmness beyond belief. Pushing pain and panic aside, she immediately thought: 'Get to the beach...' Rushed to the hospital, where her father, Ted Hamilton, was about to undergo knee surgery, Bethany found herself taking his spot in the operating theatre. When the first thing Bethany wanted to know after surgery was 'When can I surf again?' it became clear that her unfaltering spirit and determination were part of a greater story - a tale of courage and faith that this modest and soft-spoken girl would come to share with the world.
I Fight, You Fight is the inspiring story from 2025 NSW Young Australian of the Year Nominee, Alex Noble, whose wisdom and strength can teach us all how to live life to the fullest, no matter what it throws at us.
I Fight, You Fight is so much more than an inspiring memoir - it's a philosophy for finding happiness and reaching your true potential.
Alex Noble (OR2020) was a sixteen-year-old rugby star with a promising sporting career ahead of him when an on-field accident landed him in a four-day coma in the ICU. Diagnosed with C4 quadriplegia, Alex was not expected to have any movement from the chest down. Defying the odds, Alex’s mental strength and resilience have seen him make incredible gains – from standing with minimal assistance to walking with the aid of an exoskeleton.
At twenty-two, he now has a successful public speaking career, and between intensive weekly training regimes and university classes, he also works in a law firm, travels the world and runs his own boat charter business. Alex’s achievements, perspective and message have inspired thousands to strive for their own goals and become happier.
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