One man's remarkabletaleof endurance and survival vivid, disturbing, but
ultimately uplifting, as the beaten child, once told he was rubbish and
would neverbe worth anything, becomes a man with the heart to love,
live, and embrace the future
As Paul Connolly struggled to leave behind his painful, humiliating
childhood in the notorious St. Leonard s children s home, the ghosts of
his past would not let go. The pedophiles and sadists had damaged so
many kids. Some had died, from suicide or heroin. Others, like Paul, had
emerged, battered and illiterate, to try to find a place in the world.
When a fall from a roof shattered his boxing ambitions, he survived in a
brutal underworld of routine violence, before eventually building a
career as a celebrity fitness trainer, working with the stars of fashion
and film. After "Against All Odds" became a surprise bestseller,
everything changed for Paul. He found himself speaking at the House of
Lords, appearing on TV and getting involved in projects with abused kids
and illiterate adults. But a rare heart infection almost killed him, and
the old demons still haunted him. Four years later, Paul has made a new
world for himself, centered on his young family and a successful
training business that mends broken bodies, builds confidence, and
changes lives for the better."