Former soldier says “give it a go”
Andy McNab uses his experiences in the UK’s elite army regiment as the basis for his bestselling books.
When Andy McNab joined the army at the age of 16, he had the reading age of an 11-year-old. He was probably the last person who’d expect to become a bestselling author but, thanks to his time in the army, he not only had the experiences to write about, but the tools with which to write them.
McNab had a difficult start in life: as a newborn he was found on the steps of a hospital. He was adopted and grew up in south London. His early years were troubled and it seemed as if he might end up in prison. Instead, at 16, he joined the army.
Most of his first six months in the army were spent in a classroom, catching up on the lessons he missed at school. It may have been tough at the time, but he’s grateful for it now. “All the good stuff would never have happened without the good education that I got, whether I liked it or not, in the military,” he remembers. He spent an action-packed eight years in the infantry, before joining the Special Air Service (SAS) regiment, one of the most fearsome military units in the world. He says that by the time he left the army, he was the most highly decorated soldier (which means the soldier with the most medals) serving in the army.
It was his time in the SAS that gave him the ideas for his books. His first books were aimed at adults, but McNab now also writes for a younger audience. His books for young adults include the action-packed Liam Scott series.
McNab also works as a literacy ambassador for The Reading Agency, a charity dedicated to getting people reading. He thinks it’s really important to help parents enjoy reading too, because “there is a trickle down to the kids”. Now, McNab has been awarded a CBE, an honour given out by the Queen. With his lifetime of experiences, he wants everyone to know, “If I can do it, you can do it. All you have to do is give it a go.”