"True heroism from battlefield to podium."
The word ‘hero’ is one of those words that has found its meaning diluted by overuse, and in the case of Jaco van Gass is simply insufficient. Nevertheless that’s what he is, unequivocally, and in the original sense of the word. The title of his book is a reference to ‘unequivocal saves’ which was a term used at the military hospital where he was treated for life-changing injuries in 2009. The ‘unequivocals’ were those who the hospital had undoubtedly brought back from the brink and their names were listed on the wall alongside another board that recorded the less fortunate. With his left arm gone following a firefight in Afghanistan, and with injuries that would be enough to retire most of us, van Gass steps up to become a first class mountaineer and world record holding Paralympic cyclist, not to mention being a team member of the Walking with the Wounded expedition that reached the North Pole in 2011. I remember that expedition as a turning point in shifting public opinion and breaking down perceptions of people with disabilities and what they are capable of. No longer were injured vets people we should feel sorry for and turn our gaze from - they were people we should look up to. The Invictus Games that followed was a celebration and a focus of inspiration for the world. There is no avoiding, however, the absolute horror at the beginning of this story, which pulls no punches in describing the events that unfolded in this young man’s life. Jaco van Gass went on to achieve incredible things, but ultimately there can be no greater act of bravery than entering a battlefield.
| Primary Genre | Biographies & Autobiographies |
| Other Genres: |
Jaco van Gass was 23 when he was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in Afghanistan in 2009. Losing his left arm to the blast, he sustained life-threatening injuries that stopped his heart twice; yet by a miracle - and the skill of the medics treating him - he survived.
Against all the odds, Jaco has fought to build a post- injury life as an adventurer and professional athlete, a journey that has taken him from the slopes of the world's highest mountains to the North Pole, from the Carretera Austral to international cycling competitions in an Olympic velodrome.
In his inspirational autobiography, Jaco tells his compelling and inspiring story, starting with his childhood in South Africa and ending on the podium in Tokyo.
Shedding light on the potholes and pitfalls encountered along the way, he paints a vivid picture of the harshness of Basic Training, the cruel realities of war, the struggle to rebuild his life after losing a limb, the energy-sapping cold experienced at 6,000 metres above sea level, and the complexities of navigating the world of British Cycling.
From the dust of the Afghan desert to the blinding whiteness of the North Pole, Jaco's story is one of horror and of great hope, of near-death escapes and of fierce resolve, and, above all, his unequivocal determination to succeed. Jaco has overcome extraordinary odds, not only in refusing to let injury define his life, but in going on to tackle challenges of which few people would even dream.
Not just for adventure and military enthusiasts, Unequivocal is for any reader looking for an honest, inspiring voice that will encourage them to live life to the full.
Unequivocal features in the following genres: Biographies & Autobiographies, True stories of heroism, endurance and survival, Autobiography: sport, Biography, Literature and Literary studies, Biography: general, Biography: sport, Biography: adventurers and explorers, Autobiography: adventurers and explorers, True stories: general
Unequivocal is available in Hardback
Unequivocal was written by Jaco van Gass and published by Mirror Books
Unequivocal has 288 pages
£15.29
