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Always Winning: The inspirational memoir and guide to life from the award-winning star of ADOLESCENCE and TOP BOY
FROM THE STAR OF THE PHENOMENAL NETFLIX SHOW, ADOLESCENCE, COMES A POWERFUL MEMOIR, PACKED WITH INSPIRING STORIES AND HARD-EARNED WISDOM FOR LIFE'S MOST CHALLENGING MOMENTS.
'A raw and inspiring testament to resilience.' STEVEN BARTLETT
'A deeper truth that speaks to our whole time and culture, and offers us all a way forward.' AFUA HIRSCH
'An important and powerful read.' IAN WRIGHT
From Adolescence and Top Boy to So Solid Crew, Ashley Walters’ explosive on-screen performances and trailblazing music has always explored the same conflicting forces that have governed his life. Born and raised in Peckham, his father in and out of prison, Ashley found the gang culture in inner city London inescapable. At 15, he was stabbed in the neck and left for dead. At 18, he had a gun held to his head as he cradled his newborn son. At 20, he was sentenced to eighteen months in prison.
In this brave and inspiring book, Ashley opens up about his turbulent past. He writes candidly about his battles with identity, addiction, family and fame, and the realisation that, after years of struggle, only he could change his future.
‘Always Winning’ is the framework Ashley developed to turn his life around. Revealed for the first time in this book, explored through powerful stories from his life and career, he shares the principles of this philosophy and shows how anyone can use them to overcome their own challenges, helping them to align a true sense of purpose with inner happiness and personal success and fulfilment.
'A raw and inspiring testament to resilience.' STEVEN BARTLETT
'A deeper truth that speaks to our whole time and culture, and offers us all a way forward.' AFUA HIRSCH
'An important and powerful read.' IAN WRIGHT
From Adolescence and Top Boy to So Solid Crew, Ashley Walters’ explosive on-screen performances and trailblazing music has always explored the same conflicting forces that have governed his life. Born and raised in Peckham, his father in and out of prison, Ashley found the gang culture in inner city London inescapable. At 15, he was stabbed in the neck and left for dead. At 18, he had a gun held to his head as he cradled his newborn son. At 20, he was sentenced to eighteen months in prison.
In this brave and inspiring book, Ashley opens up about his turbulent past. He writes candidly about his battles with identity, addiction, family and fame, and the realisation that, after years of struggle, only he could change his future.
‘Always Winning’ is the framework Ashley developed to turn his life around. Revealed for the first time in this book, explored through powerful stories from his life and career, he shares the principles of this philosophy and shows how anyone can use them to overcome their own challenges, helping them to align a true sense of purpose with inner happiness and personal success and fulfilment.
- GenresAudiobook
266 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 29, 2025
15 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 5, 2025
I have to admit I am a Top Boy fan so if Ashley wrote a shopping list I would read it. This isn’t a traditional memoir - Ashley writes about aspects of his life with brutal honesty and it is mixed with his philosophy of life. I think it is not an understatement to say he is lucky to be alive and to have thrived.
audio-books
September 9, 2025Why I choose this book.
I have always been a fan on Ashley and particular Bulletproof so when I saw he had written a memoir I decided that I would get the audiobook version and listen to his memoir. From his own words, in his own voice.
What effect listening to it by the author had ?
You can really feel the impact of what happens during Ashley filming and the impact of where he grown up had on his filming experience. When he is explaining how he overcome different hurdles it just hit differently. Like a self help book written and told by Ashley to be your best self.
Why was I drawn towards this particular book?
I’m a huge fan of autobiographies and memoirs, especially if its from people I have watched and are familiar with. I know life was tough in London when growing up. By most accounts it sounds like it still is. But hearing it just makes it hit different.
Recommend
If you’re a fan of Ashley Walters, I’d recommend this.
Overall Wrap up
Not only do you hear everything Ashley has fought through to get where he is. The way he tells it makes you think about your own experiences and the impact that has on you and others around you. He shares his knowledge of things that have helped him succeed in life and his own way of thinking.
Unrated as non-fiction.
Book Information – Always Winning by Ashley Walters and Chris Isaie.
Narrators – Ashley Walters
Genre – Memoir.
Length of audiobook – 6 hours and 43 minutes.
Available on Kindle Unlimited – This is not available on kindle unlimited.
Available Formats – Available on kindle, hardback and on audiobook.
Publishing Information – Published 29th May 2025 by Penguin.
Format in Which I Read – Audiobook.
Where my copy come From – Brought on Audible.
POVs – Told from Ashley’s POV.
Single/Dual/Multiple Timelines – Single timeline.
1st or 3rd Person – Told in first person.
Trigger Warnings – Please check content warnings before reading if necessary and please always remember that your mental health matters.
I have always been a fan on Ashley and particular Bulletproof so when I saw he had written a memoir I decided that I would get the audiobook version and listen to his memoir. From his own words, in his own voice.
What effect listening to it by the author had ?
You can really feel the impact of what happens during Ashley filming and the impact of where he grown up had on his filming experience. When he is explaining how he overcome different hurdles it just hit differently. Like a self help book written and told by Ashley to be your best self.
Why was I drawn towards this particular book?
I’m a huge fan of autobiographies and memoirs, especially if its from people I have watched and are familiar with. I know life was tough in London when growing up. By most accounts it sounds like it still is. But hearing it just makes it hit different.
Recommend
If you’re a fan of Ashley Walters, I’d recommend this.
Overall Wrap up
Not only do you hear everything Ashley has fought through to get where he is. The way he tells it makes you think about your own experiences and the impact that has on you and others around you. He shares his knowledge of things that have helped him succeed in life and his own way of thinking.
Unrated as non-fiction.
Book Information – Always Winning by Ashley Walters and Chris Isaie.
Narrators – Ashley Walters
Genre – Memoir.
Length of audiobook – 6 hours and 43 minutes.
Available on Kindle Unlimited – This is not available on kindle unlimited.
Available Formats – Available on kindle, hardback and on audiobook.
Publishing Information – Published 29th May 2025 by Penguin.
Format in Which I Read – Audiobook.
Where my copy come From – Brought on Audible.
POVs – Told from Ashley’s POV.
Single/Dual/Multiple Timelines – Single timeline.
1st or 3rd Person – Told in first person.
Trigger Warnings – Please check content warnings before reading if necessary and please always remember that your mental health matters.
audiobooks
September 9, 2025Why I choose this book.
I have always been a fan on Ashley and particular Bulletproof so when I saw he had written a memoir I decided that I would get the audiobook version and listen to his memoir. From his own words, in his own voice.
What effect listening to it by the author had ?
You can really feel the impact of what happens during Ashley filming and the impact of where he grown up had on his filming experience. When he is explaining how he overcome different hurdles it just hit differently. Like a self help book written and told by Ashley to be your best self.
Why was I drawn towards this particular book?
I’m a huge fan of autobiographies and memoirs, especially if its from people I have watched and are familiar with. I know life was tough in London when growing up. By most accounts it sounds like it still is. But hearing it just makes it hit different.
Recommend
If you’re a fan of Ashley Walters, I’d recommend this.
Overall Wrap up
Not only do you hear everything Ashley has fought through to get where he is. The way he tells it makes you think about your own experiences and the impact that has on you and others around you. He shares his knowledge of things that have helped him succeed in life and his own way of thinking.
Unrated as non-fiction.
Book Information – Always Winning by Ashley Walters and Chris Isaie.
Narrators – Ashley Walters
Genre – Memoir.
Length of audiobook – 6 hours and 43 minutes.
Available on Kindle Unlimited – This is not available on kindle unlimited.
Available Formats – Available on kindle, hardback and on audiobook.
Publishing Information – Published 29th May 2025 by Penguin.
Format in Which I Read – Audiobook.
Where my copy come From – Brought on Audible.
POVs – Told from Ashley’s POV.
Single/Dual/Multiple Timelines – Single timeline.
1st or 3rd Person – Told in first person.
Trigger Warnings – Please check content warnings before reading if necessary and please always remember that your mental health matters.
I have always been a fan on Ashley and particular Bulletproof so when I saw he had written a memoir I decided that I would get the audiobook version and listen to his memoir. From his own words, in his own voice.
What effect listening to it by the author had ?
You can really feel the impact of what happens during Ashley filming and the impact of where he grown up had on his filming experience. When he is explaining how he overcome different hurdles it just hit differently. Like a self help book written and told by Ashley to be your best self.
Why was I drawn towards this particular book?
I’m a huge fan of autobiographies and memoirs, especially if its from people I have watched and are familiar with. I know life was tough in London when growing up. By most accounts it sounds like it still is. But hearing it just makes it hit different.
Recommend
If you’re a fan of Ashley Walters, I’d recommend this.
Overall Wrap up
Not only do you hear everything Ashley has fought through to get where he is. The way he tells it makes you think about your own experiences and the impact that has on you and others around you. He shares his knowledge of things that have helped him succeed in life and his own way of thinking.
Unrated as non-fiction.
Book Information – Always Winning by Ashley Walters and Chris Isaie.
Narrators – Ashley Walters
Genre – Memoir.
Length of audiobook – 6 hours and 43 minutes.
Available on Kindle Unlimited – This is not available on kindle unlimited.
Available Formats – Available on kindle, hardback and on audiobook.
Publishing Information – Published 29th May 2025 by Penguin.
Format in Which I Read – Audiobook.
Where my copy come From – Brought on Audible.
POVs – Told from Ashley’s POV.
Single/Dual/Multiple Timelines – Single timeline.
1st or 3rd Person – Told in first person.
Trigger Warnings – Please check content warnings before reading if necessary and please always remember that your mental health matters.
July 13, 2025
Not just an autobiography but a guide to how life can be lived to achieve your full potential. It was incredible to read the details about Ashley's rise to fame and to gain clarity on events that were speculated about in the press. I felt motivated while reading this and after. There were some poetic quotes not just from Ashley himself but people he looks up to. I really really like this book!
July 7, 2025
Honest and accountable, this really does show the futility of gang life and the shambles of addiction. However, the format is shaped to seem like a self-help book. In places this works, in others it’s naive.
August 8, 2025
Good audiobook. He has a pretty whack story and the concepts preach good attitudes. Found it especially lifting on the work commute. Nothing you won't have heard before if previously engaged in any other performance or self-help book.
August 5, 2025
Feels like blasphemy to give this rating as a So Solid Crew fan but in all honesty it was quite a dry read and felt like it could have been cut in half.
October 19, 2025
Honest , interesting and insightful
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews