New Bear Grylls autobiography leaves no doubt that he's one tough dude

I’m sure that more than a few of you in the reading audience are big fans of adventurer Bear Grylls and his TV adventure show, Man Vs. Wild. With that in mind, I’d encourage you to check out his recently released autobiography, “Mud, Sweat and Tears: An Autobiography.”

Released on May 1 by publishers William Morrow, this 408-page book is must-read material for fans of the show. I’d also encourage all the Bear Grylls “haters” in the audience to check it out as well. It will probably change your opinion of this prime time TV adventurer.

I know more than a few folks have a low opinion of Grylls, and many think his show is faked. I guess they miss the disclaimer at the start of each of his shows that says that situations are presented to Grylls so that he can demonstrate survival skills and that he and his crew receive some support due to health and safety regulations.

Whether you like him or not, you’ll gain an all new respect for his accomplishments after reading “Mud, Sweat and Tears.” I’ve been a huge fan of his show for as long as it’s been on the air, but I still learned a lot that I didn’t know about him from his recent book. Here are just a few of Grylls’ off-air accomplishments you’ll learn about in the book.

· As a teenager, Grylls, the son of a parliament member, was educated at Eton, arguably the world’s most elite boarding school for boys. Former students include Percy Bysshe Shelley, George Orwell, Ian Fleming and Princes William and Harry.

· While at Eton, Grylls began studying karate and other martial arts. He became one of the youngest second dan black belts in England and trained for a time at a grandmaster’s camp in Japan.

· While a college student, Grylls passed the notorious selection course for the British Special Air Service, an elite special forces unit on the level with our U.S. Navy Seals.

· While serving with the SAS, Grylls broke his back in three places in a parachuting accident in Africa.

· He recovered and at age 23 entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest British climber to summit Mount Everest. He remains one of the youngest climbers to ever reach the top of the world’s highest mountain.

· Grylls, a devout Christian, is an honorary Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Navy and is the youngest-ever Chief Scout of the Scouting Association and its 28 million Scouts around the globe.

· Grylls is also the author of a number of books, including “The Kid Who Climbed Everest,” “Facing the Frozen Ocean,” “Born Survivor: Bear Grylls,” “Bear Grylls Outdoor Adventures,” “Mission Survival: Gold of the Gods,” “Mission Survival: Way of the Wolf,” “Mission Survival: Sands of the Scorpion,” “Mission Survival: Tracks of the Tiger” and “Mud, Sweat and Tears.”

In the end, it’s hard to deny that Grylls is one tough dude. If you still don’t think so, I encourage you to check out his new book and learn more about him for yourself.